


Losing You Again

by PseudoSoapScribe



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Eventual sonadow, Knuxilver, Love Triangles, M/M, Post-Sonic Forces, Pre-Sonic Forces, Smut, Sonadow - Freeform, Sonic Forces, a lot of smut, established knuckles the echidna/sonic the hedgehog, established sonuckles, eventual shadow the hedgehog/sonic the hedgehog, knuxonic, one-sided knuckles the echidna/silver the hedgehog, one-sided knuxilver, sonuckles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2019-08-22 00:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16587542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PseudoSoapScribe/pseuds/PseudoSoapScribe
Summary: One night's blunder, kicks off a series of misunderstandings and regrets. When Sonic returns from being held captive for six months, he finds his relationship with Knuckles is on the rocks again, but this time through no fault of his own. There are forces at work pulling the lovers apart again, and one unfortunately succeeds.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Except for chapter 1, which occurs during the six months of Eggman's reign, this story is set in a post-Forces world. 
> 
> It is chronologically the last one in my series of interconnected stories that begin with "Enigmatic" (although it was written second). The next is "To Choose is To Be Free" (which was written first). The third is "Back in Time" (which is still incomplete), and the fourth is "First Time".
> 
> I've tried to make it so that each story can be read as a stand alone as well, so it's not necessary to read all of them in order.

At the resistance headquarters, Silver the Hedgehog strolled down one of its corridors. Like everyone else in the resistance, he was preparing to return to the barracks for the night. Although, for some reason, he had an inclination to stop by the command center. He knew he would find their stubborn leader still inside. Lately, Silver seemed to be the one to have to pick up the slack whenever Knuckles became too distraught to make rational decisions.

“Hey, Commander,” Silver greeted as he stepped in to the room, the automatic door closing behind him. “Working late tonight?”

Knuckles briefly glanced over at Silver, but ignored his question.

“You should try to get some rest,” Silver insisted.

“How can I when there’s cities being destroyed as we speak?” Knuckles replied, eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him.

“Come on. You’ve got give yourself a break. You’ll be no good as the leader of the resistance if you don’t get some rest. All the others have already left for the night.”

“I just can’t do that, Silver. There’s too much at risk right now. We’re at a critical point in our efforts in at least five areas,” Knuckles pointed to an area map up on the screen. “And these areas here are still very vulnerable—” 

Silver cut him off, grabbing Knuckles wrist to lower his hand, “We have enough of our grunts in those areas right now.”

Knuckles jerked his arm away from Silver’s grasp and paced away from him.

“That’s just it. That’s all we have. We have all these rookies out there, losing. I should be the one out there fighting. I should be the one out there... looking....” Knuckles trailed off, eyes fixed on the floor.

“Is that why you haven’t been able to focus lately Knuckles? You’re still holding out hope? I know you’re trying to be optimistic for the sake of everyone here, but it’s been four months and there’s been no sign of Sonic. One of these days you’re going to have to face reality. Sonic is gone.”

“Shut up.”

“You can’t honestly believe he’s still alive.”

“Shut up!” Knuckles yelled, punching one of the empty equipment crates and splintering the wood to pieces. Silver recoiled, but the hedgehog still pressed on. 

“Do you really think Sonic would just be out there somewhere, not doing anything if he saw the state the world was in? I would surely hope not. I think it’s time for you... for all of us, to stop giving ourselves false hope. It isn’t helping anyone. We just need to mourn our losses, and... move on.”

Knuckles tried hard to regain his composure. 

“Look, Silver, I appreciate everything you’ve done, and everything that you’re doing for the resistance. Hell, you coming to warn me before anything even happened allowed me time to safeguard the Master Emerald... and for that, I’m so grateful to you... But that doesn’t mean you can stand here and tell me that Sonic is gone.  _You_ can believe what you want, but... I’m not losing hope.”

“Why can’t you just accept it?” Silver asked.

Knuckles looked up, trying to blink back the tears he felt threatening to escape his eyes. He shook his head, not wanting to answer.

“Knuckles?” 

“I miss him,” Knuckles said finally, voice wavering. He let the tears fall, but he quickly wiped them away. “I miss him so much. I love him so much. I just want to hold him again, and tell him how much I love him. I need him now more than ever.”

Realization suddenly dawned on the hedgehog. 

“Oh... Knuckles... I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry.”

Silver cautiously approached the echidna, pulling him into an uncertain embrace. He relaxed when Knuckles didn’t protest, holding him firmly and pulling him closer to his chest.

Silver pulled away to look at Knuckles. The echidna’s eyes were distant, and the tears kept falling, so Silver tried to comfort him. He reached for his cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. He let his gaze fall to Knuckles parted mouth, as the echidna let quiet sobs escape his lips. The hedgehog instinctively closed his eyes, feeling as if something magnetic was reeling him in. He pressed his mouth lightly against the echidna’s, but it quickly backfired as Knuckles roughly pushed him away.

“What the hell are you doing?” Knuckles asked incredulously, his sadness quickly turning to anger.

It didn’t register with Silver right away.

“Sorry. I’m so sorry... Crap! I just keep fucking up.”

The hedgehog hastily made his way toward one of the exits, wanting to escape the awkward situation as fast as possible. 

“Wait! Silver... Why did you try to kiss me?”

Silver halted, relaxing a bit when Knuckles sounded more confused than angry, and turned to try to explain himself.

“I... I don’t know. I just thought... I thought it would help...”

Silver crossed his arms to hug himself. Thinking of what he was going to say next.

“It’s the way you look at me... I guess I thought... I thought there was something going on,” Silver admitted.

“Is that why you’ve been so involved with me lately? I’m... sorry, Silver. It’s just that... You remind me of him sometimes. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression,” Knuckles apologized.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for... I had no idea you and Sonic were an item... I mean, I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. I’ve been so insensitive and, god, I’m just making it worse, aren’t I? I should go.”

Silver turned toward the automatic door behind him.

“No, wait Silver,” Knuckles sprinted after the hedgehog, catching his arm. 

Silver reluctantly turned around to face Knuckles again. 

“I want you to stay,” Knuckles pleaded.

Still holding on to Silver’s arm, he pulled the hedgehog closer. His heart started to race a million miles a minute looking at Silver. The expression on his face was so like Sonic’s. But the eyes staring back at him were a warm amber, lined harshly in black. Even so, Knuckles would be lying if he didn’t admit there was something seductive about the silver hedgehog.

“You aren’t completely wrong about the way I look at you,” Knuckles finally admitted.

They both gawked at each other for a moment, realizing they both wanted the same thing, and this time, Knuckles leaned too, mouths colliding softly into each other. 

Knuckles slipped one of his huge hands under Silver’s back quills, holding his slender waist close, while the other hand cupped the hedgehog’s cheek. Silver reciprocated the intimacy, sliding his hands up Knuckles’ torso before resting them on his shoulders.

The kiss was short, Knuckles being the first one to pull away.

“That felt...” Knuckles searched for the right word in his head.

“Good,” they both finished simultaneously.

Silver initiated another kiss, a needier, hungrier kiss, each of them searching to satiate their lust. 

Silver raised one of his lanky legs, wrapping it around the echidna’s waist. 

Knuckles felt his arousal growing, and he lifted Silver off of his other leg, so he was carrying the younger hedgehog with both legs wrapped around his waist, kissing passionately until they needed air.

Breathing heavily, Silver tilted his head back for moment, lifting one hand off of Knuckles shoulder to use his psychokinesis on a nearby table. He dragged the table behind himself and sending the computer off to the floor, so he could rest his elbows on the surface, readying himself for the echidna, his dripping cock exposing itself.

Knuckles, too, was painfully aroused and when his cock sprung out, Silver felt it on his inner thigh, its warmth working him up even more.

“God, you’re huge.” Silver marveled at the echidna’s strange anatomy, and just how everything about him seemed exaggerated.

Knuckles was briefly pulled out of the moment, thinking about where this was heading.

“Well, com’on, Commander. What are you waiting for?” Silver asked flirtatiously. 

“What are we doing, Silver?” Knuckles finally asked.

Silver scoffed at the question as if the answer was obvious.

“We’re making each other feel good,” Silver answered quickly.

“I can’t. It’s not right. Sonic is...” Knuckles trailed off.

“Gone,” Silver said flatly.

Knuckles huffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Knuckles,” Silver whined. “Please. Don’t leave me hanging,” he insisted.

Knuckles still hesitated, his somber demeanor suddenly becoming resentful. 

“Are all you hedgehogs always so horny?” he asked rhetorically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Knuckles said dismissively.

“Alright. But you’re right here with me, aren’t you?”

Knuckles ignored him once again. “Have you ever done this before?” he asked, grabbing his own cock to stroke it.

Silver wanted to yell at the echidna to stop stalling, but he indulged his question nonetheless.

“Never, ever,” he said innocently. “I want to know what it feels like Knuckles. Please, fuck me. Do me right here on this table.”

“It’s going to hurt,” Knuckles said carelessly, guiding his dick to finally penetrate the hedgehog.

Silver whimpered, and Knuckles grabbed the back of the hedgehog’s thighs, pushing them up as he plowed into Silver. 

Silver closed his eyes, moaning loudly and gripped the edge of the table, supporting himself on his elbows and forearms. He felt the table slipping back as Knuckles’ thrusts became more aggressive, and used his psychokinesis to hold the table from moving, the lanky hedgehog accordioned between the table and Knuckles.

“Ohh... fuck.... fuck yeah,” Silver kept repeating under his breath.

Knuckles couldn’t look at Silver’s face. He kept his eyes on his body, watching how his furry chest went up and down as the hedgehog sighed and moaned. He kept thinking about what he was doing. How it wasn’t Sonic he was with. How it felt so wrong. This fair, slender body, so thin and fragile. Knuckles leaned forward, lowering is mouth to Silver’s torso, grazing his sharp teeth against the sensitive skin besides the hedgehog’s white fur. 

Silver yelped a little when he felt a nip.

“God, I could break you in half,” Knuckles whispered.

“What?” Silver wondered, between pants.

Silver was becoming too vocal for the echidna’s liking. Knuckles slipped out of him momentarily to flip him around, bending him over the table, before shoving his cock back inside.

Before Silver could say anything, Knuckles covered the hedgehog’s muzzle with one of his mitts. Then, using his teeth, Knuckles pulled the mitt off of his free hand. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Silver witnessed Knuckles’ ungloved hand for the first time, a bit disturbed by what he saw. He wasn’t sure if it was the twin bones that protruded from his fists that frightened him, or the long claws on his fingers.

Knuckles ran one of those claws down Silver’s torso, feeling him up from his chest down to his belly, and below that until he finally reached his dick. 

Knuckles’ hand stifled the moan Silver tried to let out when he touched him. The hedgehog’s cock had just been begging for attention.

Knuckles wrapped his hand around Silver’s cock, pumping it and thumbing over the slit at the head.

Silver almost immediately felt himself wanting to ejaculate into his hand, but the pleasure he was receiving on the other end was so intense, he didn’t want it to end.

It sent shivers down Silvers spine until he couldn’t stand it any longer, and all the pleasure culminated into his shaft and he came all over Knuckles’ hand.

Knuckles reached his peak almost simultaneously, pulling out as he came, semen dripping out of Silver, down his thighs, the rest shooting to the floor.

Knuckles removed his gloved hand from Silver’s muzzle, the hedgehog panting, still leaning over the table for support.

“Holy fuck... You’re amazing Knuckles,” Silver professed, after catching his breath. He turned around, using the table to prop himself up.

Knuckles just shot him a sideways glance. He picked up his discarded mitt, replacing it on his hand. 

“You’re a shitty liar, by the way. You know you’re a fucking slut.”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb, Silver,” Knuckles said, looking at the hedgehog almost intimidatingly so. “I don’t like being lied to. Makes me think people take me to be some kind of idiot.”

Knuckles flexed his hand in his mitt.

“No, of course you’re not. Okay... so I've had sex before,” Silver finally admitted. “But I’m not some easy slut, I swear.”

“Shadow?” Knuckles simply asked.

Silver’s eyes went wide at the mention. “How did you know?”

“Remember our little encounter on the rooftop? The very first time I met you?”

“Yeah, you gave me some great advice. Not to get involved with Shadow.”

“I also know that he doesn’t give up easily,” Knuckles added.

“Yeah... he was  _very_ persistent. But I kind of like... liked him.”

Knuckles scoffed and rolled his eyes. This was sounding all too familiar.

“You’re more like Sonic than you know,” Knuckles uttered softly, too low for Silver to hear.

“How do you know about Shadow? Did you two—?”

Knuckles scoffed at the assumption. “I’d never. I hate his guts. I just know that’s the kind of person he is. We’re only civil to each other when he’s on our side. But where is that asshole now? I bet he’s sided with the enemy.”

“Relax, Knuckles. Why do you have to have your guard up all the time?”

“If you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a war.”

“Well, it’s not between me and you.” Silver reached for the echidna’s shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. “Anyway, I bet you’re spent now.”

Knuckles  _was_ tired, and he thought he might finally be able to rest peacefully after letting out all the pent-up frustration with Silver.

“Come to bed with me,” Silver offered. He slid his hands down Knuckles’ arms, stopping to hold his wrists.

Knuckles was still downcast, and his eyes still shined with grief. Silver didn’t know why, but he wanted to be the one to make his commander smile again.

Silver kissed him, receiving no response from the echidna.

“You’re really sexy, you know that?” Silver purred, caressing the white crescent on Knuckles’ chest. 

“You aren’t gonna let me turn you down, are you?” Knuckles asked.

“No. But only because I know deep down, you really want to. Now let’s go to bed. You can do me all over again in the morning if you want.”

Knuckles reluctantly let Silver lead him by the hand. He followed him out of the command center, down a corridor to their sleeping quarters. Fortunately, the leaders of the resistance had a nicer set up than the barracks that all lowly grunts had to share.

Silver’s room had a spacious enough bed, and he had made it his own over the past few months that they had been forced to go into hiding.

Knuckles climbed in first, laying on his back, and the hedgehog crawled in next, swinging one leg over him to straddle his hips. Silver sat on Knuckles, gazing into the echidna’s pretty violet eyes.

Knuckles eyes swept over the ethereal hedgehog, taking in all of his delicate features. He had never focused on the hedgehog enough to notice how gorgeous he was.

Silver leaned forward, glaring at Knuckles with a serious expression on his face.

“Now don’t go trying to leave me in the middle of the night. I’m a light sleeper so I’ll wake up if you get up.”

“I won’t, Silver.”

“I want you to get a good night’s rest for once. The resistance needs you to be on top of your game... I need you, to be on top.”

Knuckles smirked. “Was that a dirty joke?”

Silver shrugged innocently.

Knuckles pulled Silver down for a kiss, and Silver finally relaxed, laying down with his head on Knuckles’ shoulder.

“I know you’re still grieving,” Silver whispered. “And it might take you a long time to get over losing... Sonic. But things will get better. I’ll make sure of it, Knuckles.”

Knuckles simply kissed the top of Silver’s head in acknowledgement. 

They both drifted off shortly after that thought. That night, Knuckles was able to rest better than he had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I think this will be my last story in this Sonic universe I've created. Unless of course, I get inspired, but most likely I think I want to conclude it with this one. It'll be kind of long and multi-chapter, in the same vein of To Choose is To Be Free. I hope you guys enjoy all the twists and turns and juicy drama that will unfold once, spoiler alert, Sonic comes back! Gasp! Well, obviously Sonic was alive. You don't even need to have played Forces to know that. Also, like all my other fics, the continuity is loosely based on the games, so you don't have to know much about them because I take a lot of liberties anyway. As usual, feedback is greatly appreciated, and thank you so much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of gratuitous sex in my fics, if you haven't noticed. And there's a lot of that in this chapter. That is all.

“Sonic is alive!”

Knuckles was absolutely euphoric at hearing the news, quickly spreading the word to the Resistance through his communicator.

The announcement had stirred up so many emotions for all of his teammates. Excitement, relief, happiness. But for Silver it had been a different story.

“No way! That’s excellent,” Silver had said, though inwardly, he felt a bit of spite toward the blue hedgehog. He knew he should feel happy for Knuckles’ sake, and for the rest of the resistance, who seemed to think Sonic was the solution to all their problems.

After Sonic’s escape from the prison, aboard the space shuttle, Knuckles never left the blue hero’s side.

Once they reached their headquarters, Knuckles had whisked Sonic away from the team, telling everyone he needed to take Sonic to the nursing department for a quick check up, despite Sonic seeming perfectly healthy, before returning with him a little while later.

And when Knuckles gave Silver orders to go to the mystic jungle, Silver had no doubt in his mind he was purposely being pushed away. He felt a little better after finding out that Knuckles wasn’t coddling Sonic, and had sent him on a few missions already.

He even started to feel guilty for thinking so negatively after Sonic saved him from Eggman’s masked pawn.

But the negativity resurfaced once the war was over, and Silver suggested the resistance continue working together to help rehabilitate all the areas affected by Eggman’s empire.

Knuckles had initially wanted everyone to go back home, so Silver was ecstatic when he agreed to his idea. Sonic had already parted ways and their newest hero had followed suit, so he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to continue working closely with the echidna.

“I now dub the team formerly known as the Resistance, the World’s Rehabilitation Alliance.”

“Jeez, Knuckles, where do you come up with these names?” Charmy asked.

“Quiet, Charmy,” Vector hushed.

“I’m sorry to say I won’t be able to join everyone,” Knuckles continued. “Besides, I think you’ve all proved yourselves capable enough to handle it without me. I have my own duties I have to attend to.”

“You mean you’re too lazy to help us, huh?” Charmy butted in.

“Charmy!” Vector shouted.

“I think our Commander has earned himself a vacation,” Espio said. “He was always hard at work when most of us were asleep. You deserve it Knuckles. Anyway, it’s not like you can’t come help us from time to time.”

“Right. Before I go, I want to give one last order to everyone. Tails, since you’re the best at coming up with plans, I’m appointing you to be the leader of this project.”

“I’m one step ahead of you,” Tails said cheerfully. “I’ve already come up with a plan that will streamline our efforts.”

“Great. I expected nothing less from the smartest kid I know.”

“Thanks, Knuckles,” Tails said graciously.

“Amy, Tails is going to need someone with your organizational skills to help him get things moving, and get more people involved.”

“I’m on it! I know I can be pretty persuasive when I need to be,” Amy added thoughtfully.

“Great. Team Chaotix, you’ll be the first ones out in the field. Scout out the areas that were most affected by war. Finish off any of Eggman’s leftover robots, and start cleaning up and rebuilding those communities.

“We’ll do our best, Commander!” the Chaotix said in unison.

“Rouge, do you think you can be in charge of funding?”

“Definitely,” Rouge affirmed. “Omega and I will make sure all of the affected areas get the resources they need to thrive.”

Knuckles finally went to the black hedgehog, who had been sitting quietly at the back of the command center up until then.

“There are a lot of rogue robots left that need to be put out of commission. The task is way too big for just the few of us to handle. Shadow, are you in on this or what?”

“If I decide destroy them or not, it’ll be by my own choosing,” Shadow said. “I'm not reporting back to anyone.”

Knuckles rolled his eyes at the black hedgehog, deciding not to engage with him and move on.

“Alright, I think that just about covers everything. Am I forgetting anything?”

“What about me, Commander?” Silver finally piped up.

“Oh. I thought you would want to return to your own time.”

Silver frowned.

“No. I want to stay and help out here. Why would I leave when I suggested we should work together in the first place?”

“In that case... how about you join Vector’s team and help with the cleanup and rebuilding? You can start there,” Knuckles proposed.

“Yeah, we can use your psycho-whatever powers for the heavy lifting,” Vector said.

“Also, you were a great help to me, being my second in command,” Knuckles added. “I’m sure Tails can use someone with your leadership skills to help him out.”

Silver’s eyes bore into the echidna’s as if he was trying to read his mind, but Knuckles quickly turned away.

“Now that that’s all settled, I can take it from here,” Tails said. “But first, let’s hear it for Commander Knuckles!”

Everyone but Shadow cheered him on, whooping and cheering and calling his name.

“Thanks everyone, thank you guys so much. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without each and every one of you,” Knuckles said in genuine gratitude. “And Sonic... I know he’s not here right now, but I’ll make sure to thank him personally the next time I see him.”

Afterward, some left the command center and some stayed behind. Shadow was the first to leave, and the remainder of Team Dark let Tails know they’d be in touch before filing out after him. Knuckles went next, quietly slipping out of the Resistance headquarters while the others celebrated.

He should have known Silver would follow him.

“Knuckles,” the hedgehog called after they were a good distance away from the underground facility. “What was that back there,” Silver huffed.

Knuckles reluctantly turned around to face Silver.

“Can you clarify what part you’re confused about? Don’t forget I’m done giving out orders. If you have any questions about the rehabilitation project, you can take it up with Tails now.”

Silver scoffed, “Are you serious right now? Trying to be all professional, when our relationship has been anything but, for the past two months!”

“What’s your point, Silver?” Knuckles asked, seemingly unaffected.

“Why did make the assumption that I would leave?”

“Because... Isn’t that what you always do?”

“And what, we’re supposed to ignore the last two months we’ve been together? Pretend like it never happened?”

“I’m not pretending. I really thought you would go home to your own time.”

“That’s such bullshit. You just want to shove me aside because Sonic is back. So, what, he comes back, and just like that, you want things to go back to the way they were before? Literally fuck me, and fuck our entire relationship?”

Knuckles was becoming frustrated, but he didn’t have the energy to argue. He kept his cool, knowing he was only an hour away from Sonic.

“Of course I want things to go back to the way they were. But I’m not trying to forget about you. I just thought you would understand. Silver, I really am grateful to you for helping me through such a tough time. But Sonic is alive and well, and he’s back. And... I couldn’t be happier. If we’re being completely honest, remember that you were the one that convinced me that he was dead. You were the one that pressured me into sleeping with you. And maybe I was really stupid to have caved in so easily, but I wasn’t in the greatest frame of mind. I admitted that from the get-go, so you knew that from the start.”

It was hard for Silver to stand there listening to Knuckles throw the ugly truth in his face. He restrained himself from doing something he knew he would regret.

Knuckles looked at Silver dead in the eyes, “We were just... making each other feel good. Right?”

“Right...” Silver inhaled, feeling himself about to cry. “It didn’t mean anything. Even though we did it over and over again.”

“Don’t you dare try to make me feel guilty, when I never really wanted it in the first place.” Knuckles overlooked the silver hedgehog, almost feeling sorry for him. “Can we talk about this some other time?”

“Why? Why can’t we talk now?” Silver said shakily. He wiped his eyes.

“Sonic is waiting for me at home. Please. Try to understand, Silver. I didn’t want to leave things like this between us. I want to talk about it with you... soon. But right now, he’s my priority. I have to get back to the island.”

Silver yelled as Knuckles began to retreat.

“You’re going to tell him about us, right?”

Without turning to face him, Knuckles only stopped for a second to dismiss himself from the hedgehog.

“Goodbye, Silver.”

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The guardian walked into his hidden burrow on Angel Island, the one that Sonic had called home for the better part of a year before his capture.

Brilliant green eyes greeted him with an equally dazzling smile.

“Hey, babe,” Sonic said, in the middle of drying off his fur. He had just finished taking the longest shower he’d had in months. “Man, that shower felt great.”

“Sonic the Hedgehog. The audacity you have to stand there looking so gorgeous, like you don’t have a care in the world.”

“Well. There’s only one thing I care about right now.... and I’m lookin’ right at him,” Sonic said, tossing the towel aside.

Knuckles walked over to Sonic, the blue hero welcoming his embrace. Knuckles cupped his hand to hold Sonic’s cheek, kissing him deeply and pushing him gently toward the couch, until Sonic stumbled backward, sitting down with Knuckles straddling his lap.

Knuckles withdrew from their kiss for a moment to look his boyfriend in the eyes.

“I still can’t believe this is real. I’m afraid I might wake up any second now.”

Sonic let out a nervous laugh.

“I’m right there with you, buddy.”

Knuckles teared up, all of his emotions suddenly overwhelming him.

“Welcome home Sonic,” his voice faltered. He moved to sit next to Sonic on the couch, reaching for Sonic’s hands to hold them.

During the past few days that Sonic had been back, with everything they had to do to overturn Eggman’s empire, Knuckles had seldom shared a private moment with the hedgehog. Other than at the nurse’s wing, which had been more of way to see if Sonic was physically okay to head into battle, this was the first chance they’d really had to speak intimately to each other.

“God, I missed you so much,” Knuckles continued. “Where do I even start? I don’t want to bombard you with questions, but I want to know what you need, Sonic.”

“I just... need you to love me,” Sonic said with a sad smile, lowering his gaze. He didn’t put up that fake grin he had plastered on his face when all their friends were around.

“Of course, Sonic.”

Knuckles smiled, kissing him again. He pulled away to look Sonic in the eyes. He couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of him for very long.

“How are you? I mean really? No pretenses are necessary here.”

“I know that. I know you’re worried about me, but I was being honest when I told you the thing about torture was an exaggeration on Rouge’s part. The orders she saw Eggman giving his bots and those fakes weren’t a daily thing. I was mostly just locked up in a secluded cell.

“I heard you tell the nurse you were bound by your wrists and ankles.”

Knuckles took the liberty of inspecting Sonic’s wrists, were his cuffs covered them.

“Yes, and he determined there was no extensive damage done, just some light scarring. Since they were energy beams, it’s possible they'll fade over time, like a burn mark. You heard him.”

“Sorry, I was kind of distraught by the thought of you being restrained like that for so long.”

“Yeah. Well, after a while I spent most days curled up, so if anyone came in, they couldn’t hurt me while I slept. The rest of the time I did the best I could to keep myself active. The worst part about it was that I could never really bathe. All I had was a sink. And the food was really shitty. Man, I never thought Eggman would stoop that low. He really treated me like some kind of feral animal. But, I just kept thinking, I’ve been through worse before. You know that better than anyone. So, I’m okay. Really, Knuckles.”

“That doesn’t make what you went through any less traumatizing. I know you’re okay physically, but... I know you, Sonic. The kind of toll being locked up in solitary would take, that’s not something someone just bounces back from. Even you.”

“Well, maybe right now, I just don’t want to linger on that. But if I feel like something’s off, you’ll be the first to know, trust me on that, Knuckles. For now, it just feels good to be back,” Sonic said resolutely.

“It sure as hell feels good to have you back,” Knuckles said, accepting Sonic’s resolution.

Sonic pushed the guardian back on the couch so they could lay on it facing each other.

“You know something else that felt really good?” the hedgehog asked, his spirits lifted.

“What?” Knuckles said, seemingly more relaxed now.

“Getting to hand Zavok’s ass to him when you guys came to rescue me! I know he wasn’t the real deal, but he sure felt like it. You would have been so proud of me if you’d seen my moves. All those kickboxing lessons you gave me really paid off.”

“I am. So proud of you Sonic. I know the rookie... I have to stop calling him that, I know Gadget was the catalyst that kicked off your escape, but the rest was all you, baby.”

“Thanks. He’s a great kid, by the way. He reminded me a lot of myself, actually. He couldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I think he might have had a little kid-crush on you. Can’t say I blame him.”

“No way. I didn’t get that vibe from him.”

“I’m just teasing... But he really did give you a lot of praise. You must have been an amazing leader to have left that kind of impression on him.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Half of the time I was just winging it... And the other half, I was a wreck. I was just really good at hiding it. He probably had no idea how many lives we lost because of my incompetence.”

“Hey. You know that wasn’t your fault in the slightest. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You did the best you could.”

“I’m not so sure about that...” Knuckles said pensively.

“If that’s the case, then I’m equally guilty. Because if I hadn’t got myself captured, things wouldn’t have gotten as bad as they did.”

“That’s so not the same thing, Sonic. You walked in to a trap that you couldn’t possibly have gotten out of. You didn’t have the freedom that I did. And I made some really bad decisions with that freedom.”

Sonic sat up, frowning with a serious expression on his face.

“What? Why do I get the feeling that there’s something in particular that’s tearing you up?”

Knuckles followed suit, straightening himself up. He thought about confessing to his boyfriend about how he’d lost hope and how Silver had been there to fill the void. But looking at Sonic, he found it hard to bring up, not wanting to cause any upset for the hedgehog. There would be a time for that, Knuckles thought, but it was too soon now.

“No,” Knuckles half-lied. “I mean in general. I constantly led our troops to their downfall. I could have been doing things differently. I could have been out looking for you. I could have been doing more.”

“That could’ve been anyone, Knuckles. The fact is, no one else was brave enough to step into that position. You did. You were the best person for the job, as hard as it was. And in the end, you and everyone else did find me. And we won! I’m glad you weren’t out there just trying to do everything on your own. You’ve learned a lot about team work over the years. For that, I’m so proud of you.”

Knuckles let the praise fall by the wayside, feeling undeserving of it.

“You’re okay, right, Knux?” Sonic asked after a moment.

“I will be,” Knuckles said, sneering at himself, finding it laughable that the person he was supposed to be comforting seemed to be doing most of that for him. “Maybe once it finally sinks in that you’re really here.”

Sonic let out a soft laugh, smiling at the guardian. He stood up, taking one of Knuckles’ hands.

“Com’on,” Sonic said, wordlessly leading him out of the burrow.

“What’s up, Sonic?”

“You know, the whole time I was there, I didn’t even know I was in space? It would have been so nice to be able to look out at the stars at least. I was confined to such a small, artificial space for so long. I just want to be outside. Be surrounded by nature, you know?”

Knuckles nodded in agreement. He had been so preoccupied with his own insecurities, he hadn’t been very considerate towards Sonic.

“Sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”

“No, it’s alright. I don’t expect you to anticipate my every need. We’ve both had a rough six months. Let’s just take some time to relax. We can be as lazy as we want, or as spontaneous as we want. No expectations, okay?”

“Okay.”

Sonic led them out to Knuckles’ garden behind the burrow, laying down with him on a bed of flowers.

The moon wasn’t out that night, but the stars shined brightly from their view on the floating island. The island was illuminated further by the subtle green glow of the Master Emerald, which Knuckles had restored after returning home.

The couple was silent for a moment before Knuckles turned over from looking up, laying on his belly to look at his boyfriend beside him.

“What’s on your mind, Sonic?” Knuckles started.

“The Resistance. How is everyone, Knuckles? Sorry I dipped out so early,” Sonic apologized.

“I don't blame you for that. After you left, we came up with a plan to restore all of the areas affected by the destruction. Tails is going to lead that project.”

“Wow. That’s going to be a pretty big undertaking for him.”

“Do you think it’s too much for him to handle?”

“No, I wouldn’t doubt him for a second. And I’m sure he’s going to have a lot of help.”

“Yeah, everyone is pitching in.”

“Are you going to help out, Commander?” Sonic teased with a wink.

Knuckles thought about it for a moment.

“Sure. After our vacation. I stepped down from being commander anyway.”

“I’ll help out then, too,” Sonic said, looking up at his boyfriend through half-lidded eyes. “It’s too bad, you’re not keeping the title. I would’ve really liked serving under you.” Sonic raised his arms, placing his hands on either side of his head, inviting Knuckles to hover over him.

Knuckles crawled over Sonic, admiring him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him. Sonic held Knuckles’ cheek, as the kiss deepened, feeling waves of pleasure running down his body.

Knuckles seemed to be unsure of himself, and let Sonic take the lead.

Sonic pulled him down to lay on top of him, drawing his knees up, rolling his pelvis up to grind against Knuckles’ body.

“Sonic, do you think you’re ready for this?” the echidna asked when he stopped to take a breath.

Sonic looked up at him, perplexed.

“Of course I am. We’ve gone over six months without. I’m ready as I’ll ever be. Are you?”

“Yes. I just thought you might want to take it easy tonight.”

“What gave you that idea? Besides the terrible food, not being able to have sex with you was probably the worst torture I could ever get.”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m the one that’s kind of messed up.”

Sonic scoffed, “Knux, if you don’t want to do this, just say the word and we’ll stop. I thought you’d be more eager after going so long without, you know?”

“No, you’re right. I want this. I want you, Sonic.”

“Alright... Just... be gentle with me.”

Knuckles nodded, knowing it would be painful for Sonic after so long. He felt the hedgehog’s cock poking out of its sheath, as Sonic gyrated his pelvis, turning him on so his own cock stiffened up as it met Sonic’s.

Sonic breathed shakily, as they rubbed their erect members together, already wanting more.

Knuckles, on the other hand, tried to push away thoughts of the fair hedgehog that not too long ago had turned him on like this. He pushed away thoughts of his disloyalty. He tried to forget about how easily he had been convinced his lover was dead. But his mind still wandered, and god, why did he keep thinking about how Silver’s silky fur felt on his chest? Or how his long legs, laced in tall boots, eagerly wrapped around his waist.

Knuckles’ eyes fluttered open to look at his boyfriend, returning to reality.

Sonic’s cheeks were lightly flushed, his mouth parted as he panted waiting for his boyfriend to take the next step.

Knuckles had dreamed of this moment for so long. He wished his mind would stop betraying him.

The echidna readied himself to enter his boyfriend’s body, first rubbing the head of his cock around the rim, lubricating him with the semen that had already dribbled out.

Sonic whined at the touch, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Knuckles,” Sonic said through pants. “I’m ready.”

The hedgehog seemed almost intoxicated, his head lulling back when Knuckles pushed his cock through.

“You’re so much tighter now,” Knuckles grimaced.

Sonic grabbed fist-fulls of grass, as Knuckles started slowly rocking his hips back and forth.

“Don’t worry, I’m doing okay,” Sonic said, with a little moan as he felt Knuckles going in deeper.

Knuckles kept it slow, until Sonic felt comfortable with the motions.

The hedgehog sat up, with his knees still drawn up and spread open, his boyfriend’s cock deep inside him. Knuckles wrapped one of his mitts around Sonic’s lower back, bringing him closer with every thrust of his pelvis.

Knuckles went in impossibly deep, slapping Sonic’s own cock against his belly. The hedgehog felt himself wanting to ejaculate already, the sound of his voice carrying over the island.

“Huu, I hope this is real enough... for you... Mmmm...” Sonic mumbled. He placed his hands on Knuckles’ shoulders, kissing his cheek, then initiated a lusty kiss with his tongue flicking out, meeting the echidna’s.

They kissed sloppily as they copulated, both quickly reaching their peak.

Knuckles’ orgasmed first, shooting his load into his boyfriend, and the second Sonic felt it, he came, too, making a mess all over the two of them.

Knuckles lifted Sonic by his hips, letting his cock slip out and retract back into its hidden sheath. His eyes lingered over his boyfriend’s body, amazed by the hedgehog’s incredible sexuality.

Sonic stroked his limp cock, still wanting more, and Knuckles pushed him back on the grass by his hands, trailing nips and kisses along his soft peach pelt. His mouth lingered around his belly, then trailed below it, nuzzling and kissing Sonic’s thighs, pushing them up by the back of his knees. Seeing his boyfriend’s hole full of his semen, and still trickling down his tail satisfied the echidna’s possessive nature.

Knuckles slicked his tongue up and down the sides of the hedgehog’s soft member, then took its length into his mouth.

Sonic rolled his hips and bucked them up, writhing from the intense pleasure.

“You’re... too good to me... Knuckles,” Sonic moaned as his boyfriend pleased him, coming a second time inside his boyfriend’s mouth.

Knuckles swallowed it, panting slightly when he finished.

“You’ve always been so generous with me,” Knuckles said lying down next to Sonic. “...I’ve never been as eager to reciprocate. You deserve so much more than what I give you.”

“I appreciate everything I get from you, Knuckles. I love you,” Sonic said, kissing the guardian affectionately.

Sometime during their kiss, Sonic ended up sitting on top, with Knuckles between his legs again.

“Ugh... look at me, I’m a mess and I already want to do it again. How do you do this to me, Knux?”

Knuckles looked up at his boyfriend feeling his arousal growing from the contact.

“You aren’t the only one. We do have six months to make up for,” the echidna suggested.

Taking that as permission to continue, Sonic wasted no time, lifting himself off of Knuckles slightly to grab his dick and insert the erect member inside himself. It felt easier this time, and in a moment, Sonic was rocking his hips, riding his boyfriend like there was no tomorrow.

Sonic shouted profanities as he orgasmed for a third time tonight, collapsing against his boyfriend’s firm chest, still connected to him below the waist.

“Fuck. I wish I could do this with you all night. But... I’m beat,” Sonic said, still catching his breath.

“Sonic the Hedgehog? I thought you had more stamina than that,” Knuckles teased.

“Mmm... maybe if we hadn’t just ended a war.”

“You’re right. I’m pretty worn out myself. But god damn, you’re still amazing as ever. It’s like you were never gone.”

Sonic slowly slid off Knuckles, laying down on grass next to him.

“Hey, babe, I need a shower,” Knuckles said propping himself up on his elbow.

Sonic sighed, having finally settled down from the intensity of their intimacy.

“Me, too. I just showered and you already made me so dirty,” Sonic laughed.

“Want to jump in with me?”

“It’s tempting, but I’m afraid we won’t get any actual washing done in there. Besides. I kind of want to chill out, out here. I’ll wait for you.”

“Okay.” Knuckles leaned in for one more kiss before getting up.

As he reached the door to his burrow, the guardian paused to look over at his boyfriend stretched out on the grass, relaxing, then turned to the Master Emerald, seeing the gleaming gem in its shrine, for once in a long time feeling like things were not only good, but things were right again. That was something he only hoped he could communicate to Silver enough for the hedgehog to understand, and move on.

Xxxxxxxx

After his shower, Knuckles carried out blankets and a tea tray for the two of them, setting it down on a stump in his garden after seeing Sonic sleeping deeply on the bed of flowers.

Upon coming closer, he noticed Sonic looked tense. The hedgehog was curled up on his side so his knees were almost near his head.

Knuckles knelt down beside him and unfolded some of the blankets, gently pushing Sonic back so he wasn’t doubled over, but the hedgehog tightened up and gripped his knees until he was balled up, his spines prickling up into those razor-sharp ones known for cutting through metal.

Knuckles recoiled with a startled yelp going backwards onto the grass.

Sonic immediately unfurled himself, “Shit, Knuckles... I’m sorry. I forgot. It’s you,” he said groggily.

“Shh... it’s okay, Sonic. I should’ve known better. I just want you to be comfortable and relax,” Knuckles said, covering the hedgehog with the blankets.

“You’re so sweet,” Sonic said through half lidded eyes. “I love you, Knux.”

“Love you, too, Sonic.”

Sonic smiled and let his eyes close again, seeming more at peace as he dozed off this time.

Knuckles admired Sonic for a moment, then poured himself a cup of tea, sipping it while staring up at the stars. He sat cross legged on the grass next to his love, feeling peaceful as well.

That tranquility didn’t last long, however. Knuckles was quickly disturbed when he sensed a presence on the island. He couldn’t quite tell whether it was a threat or something benign flying overhead.

“The fun never ends does it?” Knuckles whispered to himself, ready for whatever was incoming.

He squinted, spotting a glimmering aqua aura around a distinct silvery figure drifting above the island.

“Damn. What the hell is he doing here?” Knuckles muttered under breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was enjoyable to read. Our two heroes are happy, for now. Things will start to change soon as Silver is hung up on rad red. Let me know what you guys think, all feedback is appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Silver hovered overhead, eyes scanning over the island, spotting Knuckles’ bright red form even in the dark, and descended into the echidna’s garden, landing lightly on his toes.

Knuckles had already put his guard up, fists clenched, with an unwelcoming stance.

Silver didn’t seem intimidated by it.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Silver said quietly. His eyes were red and glossy, evidently from crying. He looked behind Knuckles, glancing at Sonic asleep under the blankets. “So... that’s why you weren’t at the shrine.”

“I’m always nearby,” Knuckles answered, waiting for Silver to explain himself.

“What is this place? Is this your little love nest?”

“Okay, enough is enough Silver,” Knuckles whispered harshly, becoming irate. “You want to do this right now? Fine. Get inside,” Knuckles commanded, motioning toward his burrow.

“Hey! You don’t get to boss me around anymore,” Silver spat.

“Yes, I do,” Knuckles said firmly, raising his voice slightly while trying to be considerate of his sleeping boyfriend. “This is my island. You’re on my property. You’re going to listen to me, or get the hell out.”

Silver glared at him before he reluctantly trudged over to the burrow’s entrance, Knuckles following close behind.

“Just push the door,” Knuckles instructed Silver, herding him inside quickly.

When he entered the house, Silver was amazed at how much the echidna’s personality was reflected in his home.

From the bookcases filled with found treasures, to the cozy warmth from the furnace, the messy kitchen with baskets of odd vegetables, the dining table covered in newspapers and coffee mugs, and finally the inviting green couch full of pillows and blankets. The lighting was dim and relaxing as well.

“I never guessed you had a legitimate place of your own,” Silver said, a bit awestruck.

“Yeah, well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Knuckles said flatly.

“You never gave me the chance to get to know you. You’ve always had your guard up. Now that the war is over—”

“Now that Sonic is back,” Knuckles interrupted. “I’m going to enjoy time with my boyfriend.”

Silver’s eyes went wide. Knuckles had implied it before, but Silver was still shocked to hear him say the actual words. He felt that lump in his throat again. But he had done enough crying earlier, and he refused to spill any tears in front of the guardian. When his gaze fell, he noticed a dark red stain on one of Knuckles’ normally stark white mitts.

“Ew. Is that blood on your hand?”

“What?”

Knuckles looked at his palms, noticing a razor thin cut on one of them. It stung a bit when he flexed it.

“Oh,” Knuckles said, remembering how Sonic had reacted to his touch in his sleep. “Sonic.”

“He did that?”

“He didn’t mean to. I startled him in his sleep,” Knuckles explained as he slipped off the stained glove, walking over to the kitchen sink to wash off his hand. Silver followed him further into the burrow.

Knuckles rummaged around for a bottle of antiseptic, and after finding it, poured the liquid directly onto the wound.

Silver watched as Knuckles winced and shook off the pain. He couldn’t believe the echidna hadn’t noticed the laceration on his hand before.

“Sonic swears he’s fine,” Knuckles started. “But I can tell he isn’t one hundred percent himself. This is proof that being locked up and tortured affected him more than he’s letting on.”

Knuckles started to bandage himself up, but Silver grabbed the dressings from him.

“Here, let me,” Silver insisted, wrapping the strip around Knuckles’ hand.

The echidna allowed him to do so, even though Silver was getting stiflingly close.

Knuckles focused on Silver’s dark rimmed eyes, as the hedgehog worked intently on wrapping up his hand. He thought back to a time not so long ago, when Silver worked on him like this, only instead of bandaging him up, he was sucking him off. He knew he had an undeniable attraction to the silver hedgehog. Knuckles forced himself to look away, thinking about what he wanted to say to him.

“Silver,” Knuckles began. “Telling Sonic about... what we did, would just be adding insult to injury. I want him to enjoy being back home before I drop a bomb on him like that.”

Silver snipped the bandage with his teeth, making sure it was tucked in securely before letting go of Knuckles’ hand.

“Fine. I get it... What Sonic doesn’t know, can’t hurt him,” Silver said as he placed a hand on either of the echidna’s shoulders. When Knuckles didn’t immediately pull away, Silver took it as an invitation to kiss him.

“Stop. That’s not what I mean at all, Silver,” Knuckles stressed, realizing his mistake. He stepped away from him, out of the hedgehog’s reach. “You’re completely delusional if you think I would ever cheat on him with you.”

“You already did,” Silver said casually.

“Because you made me believe he was dead!” Knuckles seethed, reaching the limit on his patience.

“Okay, fine! That’s a mistake I’m willing to own up to.... but how was I supposed to know he was still alive?”

Knuckles scoffed at the irony of that statement coming from Silver, a supposed time traveler.

“Whatever. If it were the other way around, do you really think Sonic wouldn’t hesitate to fuck someone else if he got the chance?” Silver snapped. “What makes you think he’s so loyal to you?”

“He is... He has been,” Knuckles said, a wavering of doubt lingering from their turbulent beginnings.

Silver found it unconvincing. “I wish you would have seen the way he was flirting with that jackal when we were in the jungle. Sonic didn’t even care that I was right there. Had the circumstances been different, I’m positive Sonic would have taken things further. That’s who your boyfriend is when you’re not around.”

“Shut the fuck up, Silver,” Knuckles fired back, not buying a word from the hedgehog. “You don’t have any right to make accusations like that.”

Silver continued, unfazed, “Sure, maybe the way our relationship started was wrong, but you were right. We were making each other feel good. We comforted each other. We did that because we cared about each other. You can’t deny that. I know I... felt something for you. And I know you felt something for me, too. You and I are a lot alike.”

“How? You don’t know anything about me. If you really cared about me, you would move on and let Sonic and I have our peace. What’s it gonna take for you to back off? You want me to tell you what I really think of you? Because the truth is, Silver... I fucking hate you for making me betray my boyfriend.”

Silver scoffed, dismissing the harsh words, “You don’t mean that.”

“You think I don’t? Here’s another one. I think you’re a fucking useless bitch! Why did you come to me instead of warning Sonic before he went into that city where he ended up getting captured? What the fuck kind of time traveler are you?”

The words started cutting deep into Silver, and he felt the tears welling up all over again.

“It doesn’t work like that!” Silver shouted defensively.

“Then how does it work?”

Silver didn’t have an answer for the echidna, silently trying to keep himself composed.

“So... like I said. Useless,” Knuckles decided. “God, do I regret fucking you. I did it because you literally threw yourself at me and you were the closest thing to Sonic that I had... I’ll admit I think you’re attractive, and I really got off on fucking you but that’s as deep as it goes, Silver. I only needed you for your body, I didn’t care about you. You’re as interesting to me as a rock, and you’re clearly unstable if you think a fallacy is a good foundation for a relationship. Is that what you needed to hear so badly that you had to intrude on my island, my private time with Sonic, in the middle of the night? Can you make your peace with it now that you know what I really think of you?”

Silver inhaled shakily, losing all of his composure at once.

“Fuck you. I thought you’d be different, but you’re just like Shadow. No, you’re even worse than him. At least he let me down easy after the first time. But you led me on for months... You let me believe we might have something to hang on to after all the fighting was over. You let me fall in love with you. And this whole time... You were nothing but a shallow piece of shit!”

Knuckles’ eyes darted around the room seeing his chairs, table, housewares, his trinkets and treasures, all start glowing eerily in Silver's aquamarine-turquoise aura.

“Silver, don’t you dare,” Knuckles said dangerously.

Silver ignored the warning, determined to make Knuckles pay for his vile words, and with both palms open, he sent everything lurching toward the guardian.

Knuckles had no room to dodge the attack, instead catching the table, using it as a shield before the barrage of objects hit him, and the table collapsed under the weight of the pile.

Knuckles was momentarily caught under the rubble, and Silver took that opportunity to flee, flinging the door open with his psychokinesis.

Knuckles punched his way free from the pileup, seeing the door wide open, and Silver gone, he knew he had no time to waste, running after the vindictive hedgehog toward the Master Emerald’s shrine.

Sometime during the commotion, Sonic awoke, immediately jumping to his feet. As he ran to the burrow, he was bewildered as to what was happening when he saw his boyfriend running out towards the shrine.

“What’s wrong Knuckles?” Sonic called after him, but the guardian was gone in an instant.

Over at the Master Emerald’s shrine, Knuckles reached the top steps before realizing Silver was nowhere near the glowing gem and he heard Sonic’s cry from across the bridge.

Knuckles quickly glided off the isle, finding Silver using his psychokinetic power to bind Sonic.

The blue hedgehog was suspended in midair, trying to free himself from Silver’s control.

“You went the wrong way,” Silver said coldly. “Figures. Is the Master Emerald really more precious to you than your own boyfriend?”

“Let me go! Silver! Why the hell are you--?” Sonic cried in pain again when Silver tightened his hold over him, making his body go rigid.

“You really are that shallow,” Silver declared.

Without warning, Knuckles lunged at Silver, punching him square in the jaw, immediately making him lose his grip over Sonic.

Silver fell to the floor, momentarily incapacitated. He held his face, beginning to cry angrily into his palms.

Knuckles rushed over to Sonic’s side, slinging an arm around him to support him after he fell, quickly turning back to Silver to face him.

“You couldn’t move it could you? So you came back to find Sonic. I never thought you would stoop to that level, Silver.”

“Shut up! You just proved my point. I can’t believe I let myself be deceived like that.”

“Knuckles, what the hell is he talking about?” Sonic asked, still confused as to what was happening.

Silver stood up wiping the tears off his face, “Why don’t you answer his question? ”

“What about you?” Sonic shouted at the younger hedgehog. “Why did you attack me?”

Silver narrowed his eyes at Sonic, resentful of the blue hedgehog. He ignored him, turning his attention back to the guardian.

“How long do you think you two will last now that you’ve shown who you really are, Knuckles?”

“If you don’t get the fuck off my island right now, I’ll throw you off myself!”

Silver was exhausted, bitter, and utterly betrayed, withdrawing without another word. He left the island in a streak of aquamarine.

Sonic was speechless for a moment, trying to put together the pieces. He turned to Knuckles, who had let him go to stare off into the distance.

“Are you going to tell to me what the hell just happened?” Sonic demanded.

Knuckles sighed, defeatedly.

“This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I didn’t want you to find out this way, Sonic,” Knuckles started turning to his boyfriend. “I wasn’t going to keep this a secret from you. I just didn’t want to spring it on you without knowing you were okay first.”

“I’m fine, Knuckles! Now will you just tell me what the hell is going on!”

“You’d been gone for so long, Sonic... I was beside myself... And Silver... He convinced me that you were really... gone. I needed someone. I needed you, but you were gone. And I was... losing hope. The night I lost all of it... I slept with Silver,” the guardian finally admitted.

Sonic took it all in, trying not to show any emotions outright.

“How long?” he asked seriously.

Knuckles was unsure what Sonic meant.

“How long did it take for you to believe I was dead?” Sonic repeated, more clearly this time.

“We hadn’t heard anything about you for four months.”

Sonic scoffed, needing a moment to process it. He leaned his back against a tree, crossing his arms in front of himself.

“Is that what you were so broken up over?”

“Yes. I’m really ashamed of it... I regretted it since the first time it happened.”

“The first time? You kept doing it?” Sonic asked in disbelief.

Knuckles averted his eyes and nodded.

“How many times?” Sonic asked, hoping he would elaborate.

“I don’t know, Sonic. We sort of got into this routine. We didn’t have much time together, but whenever he got the chance, he’d stop me from overworking myself and dragged me off to his room. It’s not like I wasn’t willing, though. I was always so stressed out. It was an easy way for me to vent. It went on like that for the last couple of months until we found you.”

“Shit, Knuckles... You regretted it, but you just kept sleeping with him because it was convenient for you? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yes. I don’t even think I can justify it to myself... much less to you. All I can say is... he made it hard not to.”

“Did you... Do you have romantic feelings for him?”

“No, not at all. That’s what I tried to get through to him today. First, after the meeting with the Resistance. But he didn’t get it. Then he came here, after you’d gone to sleep, and I tried talking to him, but he suggested we keep seeing each other behind your back and I just... lost it.”

“What?”

“He thought he felt something for me, and he thought I had feelings for him, too, but I don’t. I know I shouldn’t have lost my temper the way I did, but... I went off on him in the worst way possible, and he didn’t take very well to being rejected.”

Sonic scoffed. “You think?”

“I’m sorry you got dragged into all this, Sonic. I’m sorry I betrayed you this way. Please... tell me how you feel... I don’t want you going and running off again.”

“Do you see my legs moving? I’m not running, Knuckles. I just don’t know how to feel about all this... On one hand, all it took was a few months and someone easy for you to move on.”

“No. That’s the thing. I wasn’t moving on. Not even close. I wouldn’t have even given him the time of day if I weren’t so hung up on you. My attraction to him was purely physical. That’s why he was so upset. That’s why he thinks I’m shallow.”

“Well, knowing you, it’s kind of hard to believe you would be open to that kind of relationship. You’re always so caring and passionate.”

“Only with you, Sonic. You’re it for me, babe.”

Sonic found it hard to look away from Knuckles’ pretty amethyst eyes. The echidna was being sincere, Sonic could feel it in his soul. Knowing him for so many years, he knew the guardian’s earnest words were ones he could trust.

Sonic put his guard down, uncrossing his arms, and reached for the echidna’s arm.

“I’m trying to put myself in your position, Knuckles... And if I’m being completely honest, if you were presumed dead for that long, I think I would have done the same thing. Sometimes, meaningless sex, is just meaningless sex. I know that... from experience. I just hate that you had to feel that emptiness, too.”

Sonic saw a wave of relief wash over the echidna’s face.

“I’m so sorry, Sonic. I don’t deserve you.”

“Of course you do. I hate to bring this up, but once upon a time, you gave me a second chance. And I really didn’t deserve it. It’s not like what you did was to spite me.”

“I could never hurt you that way.”

“I know you couldn’t. I did. I hurt you on purpose, and you still forgave me. Why wouldn’t I do the same for you? We promised each other that we would make it work, and trust each other enough to talk through anything. I get it, Knuckles. I really do.”

Knuckles approached Sonic, scooping him up in his arms, lips meeting in open mouthed kisses that quickly became heated pants. Knuckles pinned his boyfriend against a tree, grabbing the back of his thighs to hike him up, lifting him off the ground.

“Can we? Just one more time tonight,” Knuckles asked roughly, wanting permission before continuing.

“Yes... Fuck me. Oh god, fuck me, Knuckles,” Sonic chanted, breathing shakily, writhing and moaning in pleasure when Knuckles pressed his stiff cock inside him. They were both insatiable tonight.

Sonic was lost in it again, begging for more, begging for Knuckles to do it faster and harder, and the echidna delivered with each thrust of his pelvis hitting Sonic’s prostate, giving them both unimaginable pleasure.

When they finished, Sonic fell forward, clinging on to the echidna, fingers tangled in his dreads, thighs clenched firmly on his hips while Knuckles carried him back home.

As they approached the burrow, Knuckles let him down on his feet.

“I need to go inside, I’ll just be a minute,” Knuckles told Sonic. entering his wrecked burrow to assess the damage. Sonic followed him close behind, first noticing the door hanging by its hinges.

Sonic surveyed the interior, appalled by what he saw.

“Whoa. What the hell happened here?”

“Silver happened,” Knuckles replied flatly. He exhaled shakily, picking up the remnants of one of his most prized treasures. It was shattered to pieces.

“I can’t believe he trashed your place. He’s such a—” Sonic refrained from criticizing the younger hedgehog, remembering Silver was still young and immature. “Any way.... I’ll help you get everything cleaned up and restored.”

“Thank you. Some other time. Right now, we should get some rest.”

“Okay. Hey, on the bright side, look what I found under the mess.” Sonic picked up a dusty brown wide-brimmed hat. “It's your old treasure hunting hat! I haven’t seen you wear this thing in ages.”

Knuckles was amazed he still had that old ratty hat. He thought he’d lost it.

“It doesn’t suit me as well I thought.”

“It totally does. I remember how cute I thought you looked in it. Put it on.”

Knuckles reluctantly put the hat on for his boyfriend.

“Still looks good on you. Even sexier now that you’re all grown up. Seriously. You’re technically a war vet now.”

Knuckles laughed a little and took the hat off, smiling shyly at him.

“Man, I’m going to have fun sorting through all your treasure.”

Sonic had noticed the bandages and missing glove before, deciding to point it out at last.

“Why’s your hand all bandaged up?” he asked.

“Oh... Uh, it’s nothing,” Knuckles brushed off.

“Was that... when you woke me earlier?”

“Yeah. It’s okay, Sonic, it’s just one of those things we’re going to have to deal with.”

“Shit. I’m sorry. I know you think there’s something wrong with me. I mean, I guess I’m not as alright as I thought. Just give me some time. It’s going to take some getting used to being back. That’s all.”

“I know. But I can’t help worrying about you. It’s in my nature to be protective.”

“It sure is. One of the many reasons why I love you.”

Sonic leaned forward kissing the tip of the guardian’s petite nose.

They left the wreckage behind, heading back out into the garden again.

The couple laid together on the grass, and Sonic laid his head on the echidna’s chest, after pulling the blankets over them.

“I think I’ll sleep better if I cuddle up with you,” Sonic said, slinging an arm around Knuckles’ torso.

“Whatever happened to you out there, Sonic... You’re safe now. I’ll protect you no matter what.”

Knuckles welcomed his boyfriend’s closeness, bringing his hand up to play with one of Sonic’s ears. He petted him and tugged on it gently, as they both lay in silence.

“Knux?” Sonic started.

“Yeah?” Knuckles answered sleepily.

Sonic lifted his head up to look at Knuckles, shifting to find a more comfortable position.

“Try not to wake up before me for once.”

“Okay,” Knuckles answered. His eyes were heavy and half-closed.

“You know... I can’t wait to have my mouth full of your thick cock,” Sonic whispered in a throaty voice. “I want you to wake up to me blowing you. Would you like that, Knuckles?”

Sonic swiped his tongue across his upper teeth, his tiny fangs peeking out when he did so.

Knuckles’ eyes opened up at how unbelievably lewd Sonic was, but loving it at the same time.

“Do you even have to ask? I’d love that, Sonic,” he answered, grinning handsomely back at him.

Sonic was totally satisfied, laying his head back down on his boyfriend’s chest. With that prospect in his future, Knuckles dozed off shortly after that last thought, and Sonic clung to him as he tried to fall asleep.

“You’re mine,” Sonic whispered to himself, nuzzling his cheek against Knuckles’ silky fur. “No one’s ever going to try to take you away from me again.”

Xxxxxxxxxx

A few weeks later, Sonic and Knuckles entered the new facility for the rehabilitation project. It was a bright and wide-open space, having a beach house-like vibe near the ocean where Tails’ workshop resided. It was the complete opposite of the Resistance headquarters.

“Hey, Tails!” Sonic greeted cheerfully, going in to hug his best friend, Knuckles waving his greeting to the fox from behind them. “It’s good to see you again, buddy!”

Tails noted Sonic seemed to have a glow about him, one that he now understood came from whenever Sonic spent any time with Knuckles.

“It’s good to see the two of you!” Tails spouted back. “You guys came back just in time, too. We got so much work done already, but we still have a few spots that we could really use a few extra hands for. What do you guys say? You’re up for helping out old pals?”

As Tails finished explaining, the croc, the ninja, and the hyperactive bee burst through the door.

Espio spoke up first.

“Do our eyes deceive us,” the chameleon questioned.

“When we saw red and blue rolling in here, we just had to come in and see for ourselves,” Vector said next.

“Knuckles, you sure took your sweet time on that vacation,” Charmy exclaimed.

“Hey, it wasn’t all a vacation,” Knuckles responded. “Don’t forget I’m the guardian of the Master Emerald before anything else. I have my own duties to attend to.”

“So do we,” Vector said boisterously. “But our detective agency hasn’t been doing so hot after the war. No one’s really in the market to have mysteries solved when the whole world is in shambles.”

“Vector, Espio, and Charmy have been helping out with the rehabilitation project, pretty much full time,” Tails chimed in.

“Vector thinks the money here’s better anyway,” Charmy said aside to Sonic and Knuckles.

“Isn’t it volunteer work?” Sonic questioned.

“It was at first,” Tails explained. “But Rouge was able to get enough funding to cover our expenses and have our team get paid at the same time.”

“Bat girl does have her ways when dealing with government authorities. Remind me to thank her next time I see her,” Knuckles noted.

Turning his attention back to Sonic and Knuckles, Tails picked up where he left off before he was interrupted.

“Well, we’re glad to have you both back,” he stated. “So are you guys up to help us?”

“That’s why we’re here, Tails,” Sonic said eagerly.

“We call dibs on Knuckles,” Vector said. “We could really use someone with your strength on our team.”

“Oh. Isn’t Silver supposed to be helping you guys out?” Knuckles asked.

“He denied our request. saying He said he wanted to work on his own this time,” Espio recounted.

Knuckles frowned at this, but Tails’ voice pulled him out his thoughts.

“Do you guys mind if I split you up?” Tails asked the duo.

Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other, and then at Tails.

“We don’t mind,” Sonic answered for the two of them. “Besides I think it’ll be nice to hang around with you a little longer, buddy.”

“Well then, what’re we waiting for? Those bots aren’t self-destructing anytime soon,” Vector urged.

“We’ll link up later. Give ‘em hell for me, Knux,” Sonic said, bumping fists with his boyfriend, before the Chaotix whisked him out of their new headquarters.

Sonic and Tails stayed behind, talking and catching up on their endeavors for the past few weeks. Sonic, without going into much detail of course.

“I’m glad you guys had a great vacation. Maybe, I’ll take one after I feel like things have gotten back to normal. More normal,” Tails shrugged, surveying a map on his computer screen.

“Tails... Can you see where everyone is on that thing?” Sonic asked.

“Yep, everyone who’s wearing their communicator watch and earpiece can be tracked down. That way we’ll know where to go if anyone’s in danger.”

“Can you tell me where Silver is right now?”

Tails thought it was odd for Sonic to ask about the time traveler, but he let Sonic know anyway.

“This area here. He’s in a tundra,” Tails said, pointing out the area on the screen.

Sonic saw the moving dot that indicated Silver’s location.

“He just got there today. He says he found another one of Eggman’s hidden bases. Most of them have been deactivated, but he says this one still seems to be actively cranking out robots. It’s no wonder how some cities are still seeing so many robots running around.”

“That’s smart. Going right to the source. Still, I don’t like the idea of him working solo. I want to go help him out.”

“That’s a great idea, Sonic! It’s pretty dangerous for anyone to go out there on their own, but he insisted. I’ll call him and tell him he’s got reinforcements coming his way.”

“No, it’s okay Tails. If he wanted to work on his own, don’t let him know. I’ll just stay close by in case there’s any trouble. Call it a coincidence.”

“Okay. You’re going to have to fly there. I’ve got the Tornado ready in the hangar if you want to take it. Be careful Sonic. That area is frozen over in snow and ice right now.”

“Thanks, Tails. And don’t worry about me. It’s what I do,” Sonic said, winking at his tiny fox friend.

The fox insisted Sonic gear up with a communicator, but the hedgehog refused, reassuring Tails the communication on the biplane would be enough.

As he started up the Tornado, Sonic contemplated his real motives for taking the trip. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t just let things go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should add PWP as a tag. Is that a thing anymore? That's basically what this is.
> 
> Anywho, I hope you continue to enjoy reading! There's more to come soonish! Also, I hope everyone who got Smash Ultimate is enjoying playing with Sonic and using his OTL as an assist! Lol, I mean Knuckles not Shadow though (JK! I love Shadow too don't kill me plz)
> 
> Thank you so much to those of you who take time the time to leave feedback! It always brightens up my day getting to read your comments. Seriously, they're always nice, I have yet to get something negative on any of my Sonic fics XD


	4. Chapter 4

“What am I even doing?” Sonic told himself, sighing. “I need to let this thing go. Things are good between us. I trust Knuckles. He ended things with Silver. No matter how badly it went, it’s over now...”

That should have been enough, Sonic thought.

“But, I can’t get closure if I don’t talk to Silver.”

He remembered how viciously Silver had attacked him. How he hardly acknowledged him after doing so. And how Silver didn’t seem to want to give up until Knuckles lashed out at him.

“How could he pull that stunt even after he knew I wasn’t going anywhere?”

Sonic groaned as he prepared the Tornado for landing. He’d been questioning his decision to seek out the hedgehog in question the entire flight, and he always came to the same conclusion. He needed answers.

“Sonic? Come in, Sonic,” Tails voice came through the radio transmission, pulling the hedgehog out of his musings.

“Hey, Tails,” Sonic said, hoping his frustrations weren’t coming across in his voice. “I’m getting close now. What’s the lowdown on the area up ahead?”

“Do you see the cliffs?”

“I see them,” Sonic answered, eyeing the area below him.

“There’s ample space for a landing, and they should be clear... No snow reported in that area. But you’re going to have to run the rest of the way to the base. You’ll be going uphill, so snowboarding won't be an option.”

“That’s no problem,” Sonic reassured his friend.

“I’m sending the coordinates of Silver’s current location. Sonic, be safe out there! It’ll kill me if anything happens to you. You know... before, you had help from Gadget. Not that I don’t think you’re capable, but this is your first real outing by yourself since you’ve been back.”

“Aw, don’t worry Tails. I won’t be alone for long. Just going to scout out the area, help future boy if necessary, and I’ll be on my merry way. Trust me, I’ll be back before you know it. And this time, I’m planning on sticking around for a while. You’ll see so much of me, you’re gonna get sick of me hanging around all the time.”

“Hey, I’d never get tired of hanging out with my best friend.”

“Same here, Tails. I’m going down now. Thanks for all your help!”

“Anytime, Sonic. And please be careful. I mean it.”

“Definitely. See you later, buddy!”

Sonic followed Tails instructions, landing on a smooth plateau, a few thousand feet above sea level.

He left the Tornado on the cliff, finding a dirt road to run through in a lightly forested area, happy to be back on his feet.

As Sonic reached the timberline, the sky that had been bright and sunny just a moment ago seemed to be greying, dusk quickly setting over the mountains.

“Guess it gets dark early out here. Man, why can’t Eggman ever build his bases where it’s warm and sunny?” Sonic wondered to himself out loud.

The sparse evergreens ended as Sonic made his way up the slopes, and the ground he treaded now was frosted over with snow and ice.

It was also becoming increasingly difficult for Sonic to keep running without slipping around. After having made it half of the way up in just a few minutes, Sonic took a break, stretching out his limbs, before taking in the scenic views.

Once again, his thoughts were interrupted, but this time it was the noise of an off-road vehicle coming up his way that distracted him.

“Is that a military jeep? Doesn't look like one of ours. Maybe G.U.N. caught wind of Eggman’s secret base, too.”

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, as soon as he made out the driver’s spikey silhouette. The streaks of red against black. The music blaring from the truck’s speakers.

As the jeep approached him, the headlights shone directly on Sonic, momentarily blinding him before going dim, and Sonic locked eyes with the driver of the vehicle.

Shadow turned down the music, leaving the jeep idling as he slid half his body out of the open window.

“Of all the places in the world,” the black hedgehog remarked, cocking his head to one side.

“You’re telling me that?” Sonic asked rhetorically. He was exasperated, to say the least.

“I never expected to cross paths with you out here,” Shadow said, in genuine astonishment.

“Yeah, well I have a reason to be out here. I’m working for the rehabilitation project. Going to the hidden factory Silver found. What’s your excuse? Knuckles told me you weren’t interested in helping out.”

“That meathead’s always twisting up my words. Just what is his vendetta against me?” Shadow taunted, already trying to rile up the other hedgehog.

“Oh, fuck off,” Sonic retorted.

Shadow let it slide, moving on to explain, “It’s true. I never said that. All I said was that I didn’t want to report back to anyone.”

“So, what, are you volunteering? Oh, I know. You’re only helping out now that Rouge set up funding. Knowing you, you’re only interested when there’s an incentive.”

Shadow sneered, “I love how you think you have me all figured out.”

Sonic glared at Shadow, but the black hedgehog continued.

“Since you asked, I’m only here because Silver asked me to help him.”

“And you’re really going to his aid? Since when are you two all buddy-buddy?”

Shadow narrowed his gaze at Sonic curiously, wondering why the blue hero would ask.

“Hm. Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Actually, no. I don’t care,” Sonic said, putting his hands up dismissively, ready to turn on his heel and leave.

“Sonic,” Shadow called.

The black hedgehog’s voice beckoned the Sonic. He berated himself inwardly for showing Shadow any regard, stopping in his tracks.

“What?” Sonic asked rudely, waiting impatiently for Shadow to speak.

“Even with the moonlight, it’s hard to see more than a few feet in front of you out here. Since we’re both going to the same place, why don’t I give you a lift? Unless you’d rather blunder around in the snow up ahead.”

Sonic thought about Shadow’s offer, gauging his intentions for a moment. He decided to trust him for now, knowing he could easily break away on his own, if the black hedgehog tried anything.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Sonic said, making that fact clear. “But since you’re offering....”

Sonic strode over to passenger’s side, not without his reservations about Shadow in the back of his mind.

“Why not?” Sonic shrugged, opening the door.

Shadow smirked, sinking back down into the driver’s seat as Sonic hopped into his seat.

Shadow shifted the gear into drive, sending the tires screeching as he pressed down on the acceleration, and they set off toward their destination.

It felt uncomfortable for Sonic to sit in silence next to the brooding hedgehog, given all their history together. He almost regretted taking Shadow up on his offer. The silence was wearing him out, and Sonic said the first thing that came to mind, hoping to strike up a civil conversation.

“You know, Shadow... I never got to thank you for saving me from that clone or whatever back in Sunset Heights.”

Shadow humphed and shook his head.

“It’s not like I need your gratitude. That thing was an abomination, unworthy of brandishing my powers, or my likeness for that matter. I didn’t do it for you. I didn’t go out of my way to save you, if that’s what you thought. In fact, I could hardly believe it was you when I saw you about to take that hit like a bitch.”

Sonic’s jaw dropped, never ceasing to be amazed by Shadow’s callous nature.

“Wow. Okay. Jeez, why do I even bother,” Sonic said, crossing his arms and sinking lower in his seat.

“Bother?”

“Trying to talk to you. You’re exactly the same as always. You have these moments where you actually seem like a decent person, and I think to myself, maybe even after all the shit you’ve put me through, we can actually get along. But then you go and say stupid shit like that. What’s your problem?”

Shadow scoffed, casually brushing it off.

“You’re the only one that seems to have a problem.”

“Yeah, I do. Do you know I went the entire six months I was locked up thinking you were one of the people that almost killed me?”

“Should I feel bad about that? It obviously wasn’t me. I wouldn’t have made such a half-assed attempt on your life. If I really wanted to, I would’ve succeeded in ending you.”

“Is that what you want? Because, I wouldn’t put it past you, Shadow.”

“You’re still breathing, aren’t you?” Shadow responded bluntly.

“Great. That’s reassuring,” Sonic retorted sarcastically.

“I can see why you’d think that. But... I would never want you dead, Sonic. You’re too much of commodity for me to want you gone.”

Sonic scoffed in annoyance. He knew Shadow was underhandedly objectifying him. It was Shadow’s way of getting under his skin and Sonic knew better than to let himself get all worked up by the black hedgehog any more.

Shadow reached for the console, picking up a paper cup. He took a sip of the steaming liquid, holding the cup up to Sonic right after.

“Coffee,” he offered.

Sonic looked down, noticing a second cup of coffee.

“Have some of mine. The other one’s for Silver.”

“No, thanks,” Sonic declined.

“Don’t act like we haven’t exchanged fluids before.”

“Ugh... gross! Now I really don’t want any.”

Shadow set the coffee back down in the cupholder.

“Why are you going to that base anyway?” Shadow asked.

“I already told you.”

“No, you didn’t. You haven’t told me the real reason. Silver has no idea you’re going to meet him. I would’ve heard about it by now.”

Sonic wondered what Shadow was getting at. He couldn't imagine why the black hedgehog would even speculate that there was an underlying motive, unless, Shadow knew more than he was letting on.

“I can ask you the same thing,” Sonic said, dodging the question.

“Silver’s on the rebound,” Shadow answered curtly.

“On the rebound? From what?” Sonic hoped Shadow wasn’t talking about Knuckles.

“Sonic. I thought we were both beyond putting up false pretenses,” Shadow said, shifting his focus from the road to Sonic for a moment.

Sonic looked away, feeling flustered in a way only Shadow could make him feel.

Shadow rolled his eyes, returning his focus to the road.

“Silver poured his little heart out to me after Knuckles dumped him...” Shadow continued. “Not on purpose. We ran into each other, coincidentally. And he couldn’t help running that mouth of his. But I don’t blame your boyfriend for choosing you over him. Silver’s high maintenance. He’s clingy, and needy, and whiny. The only thing he really has going for him is his looks.”

Sonic’s jaw became unhinged again, shooting Shadow an incredulous look.

“You really are... unbelievable. Knuckles didn’t choose me over him. It wasn't some sort of competition. He broke it off with Silver because there was nothing there to begin with. But you... you’re just taking advantage of Silver after knowing all that?”

“Like you care.”

“I do care! Unlike you, I consider a lot of the people I’ve met over the years, friends. Including Silver. At least, that’s what I thought we were until he slept with my boyfriend. And even after he found out I alive, and I wasn’t going anywhere, he still tried to come between us!”

Sonic realized he was venting to Shadow of all people, and took a moment to settle down, speaking more calmly as he continued.

“If you have to know... that’s why I’m here. I want to talk to him. Knuckles doesn’t know it, but I can’t get past this until I hear Silver out. Not because I don’t trust Knuckles, because... I do... I love him and I know what he told me was the truth. But... I want to know why Silver seems to be holding some kind of grudge against me. After Knuckles ended things with him, he went ballistic and attacked me. It was like, he wished I had never come back.”

Shadow’s mouth curled up in amusement.

“Is it really that hard to swallow when someone doesn’t like you, Sonic?”

"No! God, why am I even talking to you about this? Everything I say is a fucking joke to you.”

“Not necessarily. I don’t find it particularly amusing that you’ll give me shit when I’m being transparent about my intentions, but somehow you have no problem with Knuckles when he was deceptive and took advantage of Silver.”

“That’s not even remotely the same thing... No one was taken advantage of in that situation and Silver knew exactly what would happen the moment he found out I was alive.”

“That’s not the way he saw it. Silver was so smitten with his commander... Did you know, he loved calling him that? Oh, but Silver’s still young and naïve. He had no idea Knuckles would abuse his power like that.”

“I don’t know why you think the bullshit you say about Knuckles has any merit with me.”

“All I’m saying is, your boyfriend isn’t the saint you make him out to be, Sonic.”

“I don’t... I know he isn’t perfect. I know he hurt Silver. Bad enough that... Silver lashed out at both of us. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to set things right.”

“Of course you are. You can't have Silver going and messing things up for you again. You don’t really trust your boyfriend at all.”

“Shut up, Shadow,” Sonic said, trying to not let it affect him.

“Hey, what is it with that echidna taking my sloppy seconds anyway?”

“Would you seriously shut the fuck up? Haven’t you noticed that, out of all the people you sleep with, at least Silver and I have recognized that we can do so much better than you? Back then, I only settled for you because I didn’t know someone could love me like Knuckles does. And maybe I can’t speak entirely for Silver, but it seems he's only settling for you when he’s at his worst. It’s pretty pathetic really, that you’re okay with that.”

Shadow didn’t outwardly respond to Sonic’s analysis of him, finally quieting down. He turned up the music instead.

What was perhaps a twenty-minute drive felt more like an hour to Sonic, and he couldn’t be more relieved when they reached the abandoned base, jumping out of the jeep before Shadow even put the gear on park.

Sonic slammed the door shut, getting ahead of the black hedgehog to scope out the area.

Shadow sent Silver a message of his arrival, then stepped out of the vehicle with their coffee in hand.

“Hey! You made it.”

Sonic heard Silver’s distinct tenor voice shouting the black hedgehog’s name before seeing him hover over to where Shadow stood by the jeep. He must have flown down from atop the factory.

“Here.”

“You brought me coffee?” Silver said in astonishment.

Shadow handed Silver the cup of coffee, which the younger hedgehog graciously accepted with his arms opened wide as he crashed into Shadow.

“You’re a godsend,” Silver said, reeling Shadow into the hug, and kissed him intimately before parting.

“You seem happy to see me. You eager for something?” Shadow reached for Silver’s cheek, caressing it gently.

Silver’s muzzle flushed slightly, and he averted his eyes, laughing nervously. He stepped away to look up at the factory and taking a sip of his coffee.

“Well, you know, I’ve just been up here by myself all day trying to figure out how to get into the factory without tripping the alarm. It’s nice to have some company for a change. But... I do want a part two from the other night. If that’s okay with you.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t,” Shadow answered.

After eavesdropping on their exchange, Sonic made Silver aware of his presence, approaching them loudly.

Silver’s head snapped in the direction of the footsteps, the snow crunching conspicuously under Sonic’s feet.

“Sonic? What the hell?” Silver said, turning to Shadow for an answer. “Did you know he was here?”

“I ran into him on the way over here. He was coming to see you anyway, so I brought him with me.”

“And you didn’t think to mention that to me earlier? Send me a message? You asshole!” Silver said tossing the coffee cup aside, the contents spilling so it stained the snow.

Sonic interjected, trying his hardest not to start off with a fight. “You can stop freaking out okay, Silver? I asked Tails to tell me where you were so I could come talk to you privately. If I’d known Shadow would be coming here, I would have picked a better time to talk to you.”

“There won’t be a better time! Not now, not ever. I don’t want to talk to you!”

Silver sent a knife-like wave from his palm half-heartedly towards Sonic, which the blue hero easily dodged, and started running.

Sonic easily caught up with him, grabbing ahold of his arm.

“Silver wait.”

“Why? Come to rub it in my face that you have everything I’ll never have? I don’t want to hear anything you have to say to me,” he said snatching his arm away from Sonic. Silver couldn’t help the tears escaping his eyes.

“What are you even talking about Silver? What’s with this sudden animosity you have towards me? I’ve done nothing but be friends with you. I don’t think I deserve whatever this thing is you have against me.”

“Of course. How could you possibly understand? You’ve never been alone.”

Sonic furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of Silver’s words.

“Alright Silver... I won’t talk... but if you have something to say, I’ll listen to you.”

Silver composed himself long enough to try to explain himself.

“Fine. I’ll talk. While you were gone, I only got a taste of what it was like to be like you. To be surrounded by people who will listen to you, who look up to you. People who love you. When Knuckles... He paid attention to me for the first time. He heard what I had to say. Before the war, I can’t say we ever really talked. He gave me such an important role in all of it. We connected. Or I thought we did. Because he knows what it’s like, after all the battles, to go home and be empty and alone. I told him about how lonely it is to go back to my future, no matter how much it changes for the better. He knows how unhappy I am there. That’s why I keep coming back. He knew I wanted to stay and be with him. But you being alive cemented my reality. I could never have him. He brushed me aside, and claimed he just used me as some sort of substitute for you... And it wasn’t just him. I couldn’t have anything. As soon as you came back everyone suddenly had hope again. Without you, our resistance team wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough for anyone. I don’t have a place here. I don’t have a place in my future. I don’t belong anywhere. I don’t belong with anyone.”

Silver buried his face in his hands, starting to cry again. He crouched down close to the ground.

“I’m so sorry, Silver.”

Sonic put a hand on Silver’s shoulder, but the younger hedgehog flinched away from his touch.

“Don’t give me your sympathies. It’s just another thing that’s better about you than me. You can go ahead and say it. I’m just being selfish.”

“It isn’t selfish to want to be happy, Silver. But you can't take shortcuts in achieving that. That’s not how it happens. It has to come naturally from within you. Even then, it’s not without hurdles. When those things happen... you have to work for it to put it back on track. I know Knuckles made you happy. Because he does the same for me. But you didn’t do that for him. Not for real any way. He didn’t want to hurt you. What he and I have is just too important to him to let anything get in the way of that. I hope you understand that. You do have a place here with us, too, Silver. We can still be friends, if you want us to be.”

“How could you forgive me so easily? After what I did to you two?”

Sonic shrugged. “I don’t know. I just know my friendships are more important than some petty grudge.”

Silver sniffled, wiping away his tears. He looked up at Sonic hopefully.

“I’m sorry for being so awful to you. I’m really glad you came back, Sonic. I get why Knuckles loves you so much. Why everyone seems to love you. I have a lot of things I need to work on with myself. Maybe staying in your present time isn’t the best idea right now.”

“You don’t have to go back home,” Sonic asserted.

“I should. I don't want to keep making the same mistakes.” Silver looked over at Shadow, who had been leaning quietly on the black jeep throughout his meltdown.

“Silver, are you really...? With Shadow?” Sonic asked.

“Stay out of our business, Sonic,” Shadow stalked over to the two of them hearing Sonic dragging his name into the conversation. “Are you proud of yourself? You really just went and upset him. Is that all you wanted?”

Shadow took Silver’s forearm, forcefully pulling him up to stand.

“Hey, let him go Shadow,” Sonic warned.

Silver grimaced at Shadow’s grip on his arm, but he stood silently, unwilling to start something with Shadow.

“You did what you came here to do. Now get out of here. Silver and I will take care of this factory.”

“Oh sure, I know what you’re going to take care of. God, you can’t stop thinking with your dick for two seconds, can you? Silver, you aren’t okay with this are you?”

Shadow let Silver go, getting uncomfortably close to Sonic.

“He wouldn’t have called me over here if he wasn’t, you dumb bitch.”

“Hey, back off, Shadow... Sonic, this isn’t... I owe him...” Silver said softly.

“What? No you don’t. Silver, it’s okay to say if you’ve changed your mind,” Sonic urged the younger hedgehog.

“He’s not the one that has a problem with me, remember,” Shadow started. “That’s you. Just because you’re tied down to one dick doesn’t give you an excuse to be all self-righteous and berate others for indulging in casual sex. Do I have to remind you, it wasn’t even a year ago that you were begging me to fuck you? You slut.”

It was taking Sonic immense restraint to not swing a fist into Shadow’s mouth.

Shadow seemed amused by Sonic’s intensity, egging him on.

“What? Is it just that you don’t want Silver to have me either? Feeling sentimental? Or is this payback because he slept with your boyfriend?”

“It’s not about that!” Sonic shouted. “This is about you using him! Silver... if everything you just told me is true... this isn’t what you really want!”

“Alright, Sonic, this is getting way out of hand. Would you just leave?” Silver pleaded.

“No! I can’t believe you’re letting him do this to you,” Sonic insisted.

“Are you serious right now?” Silver asked. “Because I’m starting to believe Shadow might be right.”

Sonic scoffed, “Okay. I give up. I just didn’t want you... I didn’t want to see a friend do something they’d regret. Take that for what it’s worth.”

Silver reflected on it for a moment before Sonic spoke up again.

“Well, I guess there’s no point in sticking around out here. I came to shut down this base.”

“So did I,” Shadow challenged.

Sonic sprinted toward the factory’s entrance, looking around the heavy metal door for any vulnerabilities.

“Not even my spines can cut through this,” Sonic said to himself.

“Weak,” he heard Shadow say behind him, before shoving him aside.

Shadow raised his hands, his chaos blast busting open the metal door.

“Wait, Shadow, what did you do that for?” Silver asked frantically. “I’ve been up here all day because I’ve been trying to figure out how to get in without tripping the alarm!”

All three hedgehogs heard a high-pitched warning signal.

“No! It’s going to self-destruct!” Silver shouted.

They scrambled to get away, running off in different directions. But it was already too late.

Sonic felt a searing pain, immediately followed by another when he was thrown into something headfirst, all feeling in his body going numb as his vision darkened and he lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed the Gregorian calendar new year, so happy lunar new year! I'm supposed to be playing KH3 but here I am writing more of my trashy Sonic fanfic. Damn, I'm in way too deep with Sonic. XD I want to enjoy my other fandoms but it always comes back to this. Oh well. 
> 
> I don't know if anyone is still invested in this one, it's kind of been all over the place, but here's the next chapter, and as usual, not making promises on when it'll be updated, but here's to hoping it'll be sooner rather than later. Also, I always feel like I need to apologize for making Shadow such an asshole, because he's probably not that bad lol.
> 
> Anyway, as always, thanks for checking it out, my dear readers. And your feedback is always appreciated. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue, "it's been 84 years" meme! Huzzah! I have returned with another chapter!! This one is a little longer than usual to make up for it. I really want to complete this fanfic because it'll be burning a hole in the back of my head until I do. I kinda really love semi-canon compliant -if Sonic was very M rated- AU I've created and I want to see it through to the end. Also I'm so sorry I've left anyone who was looking forward to this hanging for so long. I hope at least one of y'all is still interested and comes back to read it DX

Right before the blast hit, Silver created a barrier around himself, protecting his body from the initial impact, his concentration breaking too soon to avoid it completely. His body was hurdled several meters in the air, landing harshly on the frozen ground, momentarily losing consciousness.  

He awoke only a moment later, disoriented and in a coughing fit, looking for signs of his comrades through the smoke and debris. 

“Holy... shit!” Silver cursed, hobbling to his feet, panic settling in his voice as he fully realized what had just happened. “Shadow? Shadow!?” 

Shadow had warped ahead of the blast range, receiving little damage, and even then, only fragments of the explosion had reached him. He quickly recovered, dusting off the debris, and hearing Silver’s plea distantly, he sped towards the direction of his voice. 

The black hedgehog found Silver kneeling over Sonic’s unconscious body. 

Silver’s hand trembled as it hovered over Sonic. He was too afraid to touch the blue hero’s body, fearing the worst as Sonic laid unmoving. He was face up, his head drenched in blood, and parts of his body appeared singed. His left leg was contorted in a way that could only mean that the bone had been fractured. 

“Shit! Silver... is he..?” Shadow trailed off as he approached. He knelt down on the other side of the unconscious hedgehog, doing what Silver couldn’t. He checked Sonic for a pulse, his serious expression turning into one of relief. “He’s not dead. But he’s barely alive,” he told Silver. 

Silver exhaled his bated breath, a touch relieved. “I- I’ll call headquarters to send help!” 

“Don’t!” Shadow commanded, effectively stopping Silver from using his communication device.  

“Why the hell not?” Silver questioned, bewildered by the command.  

“It’ll be quicker if I take him to get help myself. I don't want any of his stupid friends getting involved.” 

“Okay, so what? We still need to let them know,” Silver retorted. 

“Fine. Go ahead and call them,” Shadow started, as he cautiously scooped up the Sonic’s limp body into his arms. “We might know this accident wasn’t your fault, but  _you_ know that’s not how  _they’ll_ see it.”  

“What the hell are you talking about? Of course it’s not my fault! It’s yours!” Silver contested. 

Shadow slowly stood up, cradling Sonic close to his chest as he spoke to Silver calmly.  

“As far as his little fox friend is concerned, you were the only other person here. You’re the only one that knows I’m here. If I were to leave now, do you think anyone would believe you if you told them any differently? You think that echidna will believe that you didn’t purposely set him up? You know he’ll jump to conclusions. They’ve always trusted you. But Knuckles will make sure everyone else knows  _you're_ the one to blame.  They won’t forgive you for this. They’ll crucify you.” 

Silver breathed heavily, shocked and overwhelmed by everything that had happened in only the last few minutes. 

“You can’t be serious...” Silver trailed off, knowing Shadow might be right.  “What am I supposed to do? Pretend like I don’t know what happened to Sonic?”  

“Exactly.” 

“Why? Don’t you think his friends deserve to know what happened? I don’t care what they think about me!” 

“Silver,” Shadow said harshly. “I’m wasting time here. I have to get him to a hospital.”  

“I know... but-” 

“Look, Silver. Sonic forgave you, didn’t he? He’ll do it again. In a heartbeat. Your conscience is clear. Don’t go making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be.” 

Silver knew the right decision was staring him in the face, but he couldn’t bring himself to act with Shadow’s words sending him spiraling back into his self-loathing.  

With the momentary distraction, Shadow used his innate connection to the Chaos emeralds to extract the one Silver carried within himself. 

“I’ll take care of him until he recuperates,” Shadow said gently, the emerald floating just within his reach. “I owe him that, at the very least. Don’t worry about him.” 

Silver gasped, realizing what had just happened. “How did you..?” Silver reached for his emerald, but Shadow immediately slowed down time around himself. 

“I know you’ve been keeping this from everyone,” Shadow started. “It’s how you always come back to our present. You thought you could just tap into its power and enhance your own abilities, without anyone else being the wiser? Too bad for you, you aren’t the only one who can harness its powers.” 

Silver stood there helplessly frozen in time, until Shadow disappeared with Sonic in a flash of light. 

“No,” he breathed out, after he returned to a normal state of being, realizing Shadow was gone and he had no idea where he had taken the blue hero. He was still trying to process everything that had just happened. His emotions had fluctuated so much in such a short amount of time, his head felt about ready to explode.  

Silver turned around to survey the damage behind him, but he was at a loss for what his next course of action should be. Weighing his options in his head, the longer he thought, the more Shadow’s suggestion appealed to him, even though every fiber in his being was telling him it was wrong. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Knuckles entered the new headquarters, with the three rambunctious members of team Chaotix following after him. The group was boasting to each other about their small victories today, and how they were ready to were ready to relax and grab a bite. 

“Hey guys,” Tails greeted from his computer desk. “Sounds like you’ve all had a productive day.” 

“Man, I don’t think we’ve ever taken out that many of egghead’s bots in one afternoon,” Vector said. 

“Yeah, and it’s all thanks to Knuckles,” Charmy added gleefully. 

“It certainly felt good to have you back on our team,” Espio said, addressing the echidna directly. 

“I don’t know if you remember,” Vector started, turning to Charmy, “but back in the day, Knuckles used to jam with us on occasion.” 

“Yeah, you were just a toddler, Charmy,” Knuckles recounted. “Those were good times.” 

“That was before Knuckles permanently joined up with Sonic and Tails,” Espio stated. 

“Well, now I know why Sonic likes to keep you around,” Charmy said. 

“That’s definitely one reason,” Knuckles said airily, mostly to himself. He looked around the room, noticing the absence of said hedgehog. He thought Sonic would show up any second now. “Where is he anyway?” Knuckles asked Tails. 

Tails perked up. “Oh... he’s, uh... I guess he’s still up in the mountains. But it’s kinda late, and he hasn‘t been in touch with me since before he landed. I thought he would have been on his way back by now.” 

“What’s he doing in the mountains?” Knuckles questioned further. 

“After you guys left, he decided to go meet up with Silver to help him shut down one of Eggman’s hidden bases,” Tails explained. 

“He went to meet Silver?” Knuckles said the name with a bit of contempt. 

“Yeah. I haven’t heard back either of them. And, it looks like Silver hasn’t moved from that area in hours. Either that, or his location is turned off.” 

“That doesn’t seem alarming at all,” Knuckles uttered sarcastically, glaring at Tails. 

“Well, I guess that is a little weird. Actually, Sonic was being kind of cryptic about going to meet Silver. He didn’t want me to let Silver know that he was going to go help him out. And he didn’t even want to take any of our gear. He just took the Tornado and left.” 

“Well, can you try contacting the Tornado again? Or calling Silver?” Knuckles said, beginning to lose his patience with Tails. 

Tails did so immediately, but as expected, he got no response from either of them. 

Everyone started to feel a little uneasy, and Knuckles had a feeling in his gut that something was wrong. At that point he completely lost control his temper, lashing out at Tails first. 

“Really, Tails? The  _first_ time Sonic goes out on his own since he’s been back and you lose communication with him?” the echidna spat, towering over him so he shrank back into his desk chair. 

“I know... I’m sorry,” Tails said, voice wavering with guilt. 

“Ease up, Knuckles,” Espio said, coming between the two to back Knuckles away from Tails. “We’re not even sure anything’s actually wrong. Besides... Sonic is his own person. It’s not Tails’ job to look after him all the time. You know how reckless Sonic can be.” 

“Yeah, well Sonic’s always looked after  _him_ ,” Knuckles said, still focused on the two-tailed fox. “He’s always made sure you’re okay, Tails... More than you’ll ever know. But whenever it’s been the other way around, you just keep letting him down!” 

“Alright, enough already. Com’on Knuckles, that’s so not fair. He’s just a kid,” Vector interjected, shoving Knuckles away from picking a fight with Tails. 

“Do I have to remind everyone, that Tails was the one that was with him when Sonic went missing for six months? And what happened then? The world went to shit! Look at the town we were just in. That masked freak might be gone, but there are threats that are still very much present. Sonic was imprisoned once, and it could just as easily happen again... He  _just_ got back. Tails, I put you in charge of this operation because I thought you were capable of handling things here!” 

“Stop it!” Espio shouted, trying to pacify the situation. “Trust me, something doesn’t sit right with me about this either, but blaming each other is not the way we’re going to solve anything. Tails, if you can send us the location of the base, we’ll go investigate this ourselves.” 

“Right,” Tails said nervously, typing away at the keyboard, standing up as he finished. “I’ll go with you guys,” he said quietly. 

“No,” Knuckles said sternly. “You stay here in case Sonic, or Silver show up. Vector, Espio, Charmy, you guys come with me.” 

“But, I’m hungry,” Charmy whined. 

“Charmy,” Vector warned. 

“You can stay with Tails then,” Espio said. 

“Chill out, Knuckles, I’m sure everyone’s fine,” Vector said, as the older trio bustled through the exit, leaving the headquarters silent in their wake.  

Tails sunk back down into his chair, staring at his lap. 

Charmy heard him sniffling, and noticed droplets falling from his eyes into his lap. 

“Aw, don’t feel bad, Tails. Ol’ knucklehead is just worried. Things got pretty bad before. Without Sonic, I mean. That’s all he’s worried about. I’m sure he didn’t mean any of it.” 

“But... he’s right,” Tails sobbed. “I’ve let Sonic down so many times.” 

Tails cried softly, recovering quickly to take care of his charge. 

“Oh... You said you’re hungry,” he said shakily. 

Tails stood up, grabbing some tissue to blow his nose. Then he went over to a mini fridge in the corner, taking out a box of leftovers to put it in the microwave above it. After a minute, he took out the heated food, serving it into a bowl. 

“Sorry, I know it’s not much,” Tails apologized as he handed it to Charmy. 

“Thanks, Tails!” Charmy said cheerfully. The hungry bee happily wolfed down the food. 

Tails suddenly wondered how often Sonic had been in a similar situation, having to set aside his own emotions in order to take care of him. He knew that more often than not, he was a burden to Sonic, and the guilt he had felt for all the months Sonic had been missing returned to him once again. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxx 

“Sir, I need you to fill out the  _entire_ form,” the intake coordinator asked of the black hedgehog, as he waited outside of the emergency room in a human hospital. 

“I don’t have insurance. You can send the bill to the address I wrote on it,” Shadow responded. 

She gave him a glare, and took back the clipboard, picking up the pen to fill in some of the blanks. 

“What’s your relation to the patient?” 

“That’s none of your business.” 

She scribbled some things on the form, and set it aside, looking at Shadow intently before asking her next question. 

“Sir, why did you bring him to our hospital? Your friend is much better off in a facility that takes care of... people, like you.” 

“Do you have a problem with ‘people’ like me?” Shadow asked. 

“No, sir, I’m just suggesting that we might not be able to adeq-” 

Shadow cut her off, continuing with his belligerence, “Don’t you think I know how primitive your human methods are? This was the closest thing to a hospital I could find in this shithole of city. You hairless ape bitch.” 

“Mr. Shadow,” a nurse called from behind the hedgehog, interrupting after hearing the tail end of the conversation. “I have good news for you about your friend. His condition has been stabilized. Luckily, we have a doctor that's a bit familiar with your non-human physiologies, and she says he’s already beginning a rapid recovery from his injuries. But we’ll still need to transfer him to the ICU to monitor him until he fully regains consciousness. Until then, you may want to go and get rest, and take time to contact any of his other friends and relatives.” 

“That won’t be necessary,” Shadow replied. “He doesn’t have any family. And his friends are on a different continent.” 

“Oh, I see. Well, we usually only reserve this for the patient’s family, but since this a special case you’re more than welcome to stay and wait overnight.” 

Shadow took up the offer, wanting to stay near Sonic in case he woke up. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

“Can you hear me?” 

Nearly a day later, the blue hedgehog slowly began to regain consciousness. He had woken up a few times already, but none long enough to stay conscious. 

Sonic’s eyes opened wide seeing a stranger peering down at him. He looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, eyes darting from one person's face to another, overlooking everyone in the room, his heartrate steadily increasing as he did so. 

“Hello, can you hear me?” the doctor repeated. 

Sonic tried nodding, but a sharp pain in his head prevented him from doing so. 

“Oh, please try not to move, your head is injured.” 

Sonic felt his eyes burning, as tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes. 

“O-Okay,” he answered weakly. 

The doctor introduced herself, then asked Sonic more questions. 

“Do you know your name?” 

Sonic thought about it but was drawing a blank. He stared back at the doctor with a frightened look on his face. 

“No,” he whispered.  

The doctor looked over at one of the other people in the room then back at Sonic. 

“Do you remember what happened to you?” 

Sonic couldn’t recall anything. The more he tried to think about it, the more his head hurt, and the pain was becoming unbearable. 

“No,” he said, barely audibly, his tears spilling over onto his cheeks. 

One of the other people in the room approached him. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” 

“Ah, it seems you may have forgotten some things,” the doctor determined. “It’s very common to have loss of your memory with repeated head injuries. Your friend filled us in on some of your history, and it seems like you have a propensity for falling on your head. Lucky for you, in most cases the memory loss is completely reversible and returns within a few weeks. We’ll need to further assess your injuries with a brain scan to be sure. I’m amazed you were able to survive such an accident. But of course, your physiologies are incredible.” 

“You are extremely resilient, Sonic. That’s your name. You don’t remember it now, but you were caught in an explosion at an abandoned factory. Do you know who I am, Sonic?” 

“No,” Sonic answered, finding this stranger’s face and voice comforting. 

“I’m Shadow...” Shadow took hold of one of Sonic’s hands. The black hedgehog smiled uncharacteristically at Sonic. Had the hero known better at this moment he would have found it unnerving. “I’m your boyfriend.” 

Sonic stared at Shadow’s face for a beat, eyes following his dark fur down one arm to his gold-bangled wrist, and then to the white gloved hand that held Sonic’s bare one, as he processed the meaning of those words. 

Shadow leaned in, kissing Sonic’s cheek gently while Sonic continued to stare blankly at their joint hands. 

“I... don’t remember you at all,” Sonic said apologetically. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I won’t kiss you again if that makes you feel weird. I just want you to know, I’m not a stranger. It’s okay, Sonic. Don’t worry about it right now.” 

The corners of Sonic’s mouth curled up into a small smile. There was a familiarity about the dark stranger, reassuring Sonic just enough to trust him. 

Xxxxxxxxx 

Sonic only spent a few more days in the hospital before being discharged with a brace on his fractured leg and bandages wrapped around the rest of his injuries. 

Sonic breathed in the fresh dewy air of the morning as Shadow wheeled him down the ramp of the hospital heading toward the taxi stand at the curb. 

“Wow, does it feel so good to be outside,” Sonic announced. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a hospital before, but I sure as hell know I don’t want to go back to one. I mean, props to all the doctors for taking care of me, but there’s only so much restriction I can take.” 

“Just don’t over exert yourself or you’ll end up right back in there,” Shadow said casually. 

“Oh, I know. I do want to take it easy. But I just want to go home... the docs said the best way to regain my memory is by surrounding myself with familiar places and faces. We  _are_ going straight home, right?” 

“Yes. Unless you’d like to stop for food along the way?” 

“No. Not before I take a nice long hot shower to get this hospital smell off of me. I’m not really hungry anyway. When I got my discharge papers, I was so happy I actually caved in and ate their breakfast. I was starving. Where’d you go this morning, anyway? You were gone way too long for a coffee run.” 

“I was getting things ready for you at home,” Shadow answered simply. 

Sonic tilted his head back slightly to look up at Shadow’s face, returning the smile he received. 

Xxxxxxxx 

Sonic eagerly took in the sights of the town as they headed home in the cab, but nothing seemed to stand out to the hedgehog. And when the vehicle stopped in front of a high-rise building, Sonic’s heart sank at the unfamiliarity of the place. 

Shadow wheeled him into the vestibule, waving his watch at a sensor on the door to the interior and then up an elevator to a middle floor and down another corridor to the apartment. 

“Welcome home, Sonic,” Shadow said in his velvety voice as they entered inside. 

If Sonic wasn’t disheartened before, he certainly was now. He inspected the apartment noticing only how pristine it was, as if no one had lived in it before. Everything was brand new and spotless, from the steel appliances to the grey walls and the red accent pillows on the black leather couch, nothing was out of place. And even more alarming was the lack of photographs anywhere around. 

“Are you okay?” Shadow asked after Sonic kept silent for a while. 

“Yeah... I’m okay,” Sonic answered, even though he was obviously distressed. “I just thought... I don’t know why I thought this, but I thought I’d just come home and my memories would come flooding back to me or something. As if it would be that easy, right?” 

“They never said it would be that easy. It’ll come to you Sonic. Gradually. Patience has never been a strength of yours, but that’s something you’re just going to have to live with for now.” 

“Maybe... you’re right. I’m sorry. It must be so annoying to deal with me not only being physically injured, but also not remembering our whole life together. I see you... and I know you have feelings for me, because you’re putting up with me through all this. And... I know I’m attracted to you. But, I don’t know why, and I  _want_ to know  _why_. And that not knowing why is fucking me up.” 

Shadow narrowed his eyes in thought, as he looked at Sonic. “Okay... if there’s any way I can make it easier... what can I do to help?” 

“Nothing... You’ve been so wonderful to me, but as far as I know, you’re still a stranger to me... I just wish I could flick a switch in my head to remember.” 

“Sonic, you’re completely entitled to feeling however you need to right now. Just... give it time for it to return to you. That’s all we can hope for.” 

Sonic took in a deep breath, sighing as he reset himself. He beat himself up internally for dampening the mood. He’d been so happy and eager to leave the hospital earlier, and now he felt like an ungrateful child complaining for not getting what he wanted. 

“Shadow... I hope you don’t mind helping me get ready for that shower.” 

Shadow smirked and let out a low chuckle. 

“Of course not.” 

Shadow lifted Sonic out of the chair effortlessly, carrying him across his torso until he reached the master bathroom. He set Sonic down on the double sink, undoing the Velcro straps from his leg brace to remove it.  

Sonic watched as Shadow worked to remove his bandages, exposing all of the cuts and burns on his body, most of which had healed considerably since the accident.  

Shadow quickly removed his own gloves and shoes, leaving Sonic still seated on the countertop to turn on the shower. 

“Are you going to take a bath?” Sonic asked, pointing at the separate bathtub. 

“No, I’m coming in with you,” Shadow answered as if it had been obvious to Sonic. 

“Thanks, but I think I can manage it from here.” 

Sonic leapt off the countertop, landing on his good leg, losing his balance as he attempted hop over to the shower. 

“You must’ve really loved that hospital,” Shadow deadpanned, grabbing hold of the blue hedgehog before he toppled over. 

“Guess I have to get used to being on my feet again,” Sonic returned, slightly embarrassed. 

Shadow helped Sonic step onto the porcelain tiles, and closed the glass door behind them.  

Sonic stood on his good leg, keeping off of his broken leg with the knee bent upward, facing Shadow and holding on to his shoulders for support. He closed his eyes and parted his mouth under the rainfall showerhead, letting the water rinse off the remnants of blood that had dried on his fur.  

Shadow reached for a bottle of wash, pumping some into his hand, massaging the lather into Sonic’s blue and peach pelt. 

Sonic’s eyes snapped open when he felt Shadow’s hand caressing his inner thigh. 

“Does it sting?” Shadow asked. 

“No... it’s very gentle. Thank you,” Sonic answered nervously. 

Shadow grabbed Sonic’s injured leg by his thigh, raising it higher so it rested on his hip. He had slowly inched close enough now that Sonic could feel Shadow’s chest against his own. 

Sonic wasn’t sure if Shadow was becoming aroused but he couldn’t bring himself to look, letting the other hedgehog’s hand travel wherever it wanted.  

“Shadow,” Sonic finally said, after a minute. “I probably look as shitty as I feel... I don’t know how you can still be attracted to me.” 

Shadow continued massaging the lather all over Sonic’s body. He wedged his hand in between Sonic’s legs, making Sonic let out a small gasp in surprise. 

“It’s always been beyond your comprehension how sexy you are. Even battered and damaged. You have no idea how easily this body of yours can turn someone on. Sonic... let me do the same for you.” 

“What?” Sonic managed to utter before Shadow slipped a finger over the small opening in his rear. 

Sonic’s tail stood straight up and he flinched away from the touch at first, gripping Shadow’s shoulder while arching his body away from the black hedgehog. 

Shadow reeled Sonic back, holding the small of his back firmly with his other hand. 

At this point, Sonic’s heart was racing, but he was gradually beginning to relax, allowing Shadow to continue touching him.  

Shadow traced circles around the rim of his hole, sending a jolt of electricity down Sonic’s spine towards his groin. Sonic began panting slightly, the gentle teasing arousing his cock out of its sheath. 

He closed his eyes and laid his forehead on Shadow’s shoulder, as the black hedgehog slipped the tip of his middle finger inside Sonic’s tight pucker. Sonic gritted his teeth at the sensation, teetering between enjoying the pleasure and hating the pain as Shadow’s finger went in deeper. Shadow quickly added his index finger, making Sonic whimper and moan. 

Sonic’s eyes fluttered open looking down at Shadow’s wet and throbbing cock, instinctively wanting to touch it. He slowly glided one hand over Shadow’s chest fur, down his torso until he reached the black hedgehog’s lengthy dick. Sonic held it between his thumb and forefinger stroking its entire length from end to end.  

“You want it inside you Sonic?” Shadow whispered silkily in his ear. 

Sonic looked up at Shadow, utter desire in the crimson eyes staring back at him. 

“Yeah,” Sonic answered, finally. “I do.” 

He looked away in embarrassment, feeling like he was being a bit overzealous.  

Shadow removed his fingers from inside Sonic’s body, and they finished rinsing off before turning the shower off. 

Shadow picked Sonic up by the back of his thighs, hiking up the blue hedgehog so his legs clenched his waist. Sonic still held onto Shadow’s shoulders, although the feel of his dick pressed up against Shadow’s torso was driving him crazy. He wanted to grind up against him, but the trip was short and Sonic flopped back onto the made bed, dampening the bedsheets with his soaking fur.  

Shadow went back to the bathroom toweling himself off first and bringing back an extra towel for Sonic along with his leg brace. 

The black hedgehog dried Sonic off, mindful of his wounds, as the blue hedgehog lay back on the bed propped up on his elbows. Sonic watched as Shadow worked diligently to dry him first, then replace the brace around his shin.  

When Shadow was done, his eyes scanned over Sonic’s body, the hedgehog shuffling further up in the bed, but still close enough to the edge, thighs open wide with his knees bent up and ready for Shadow to fuck him. 

It had been far too long since he’d seen him this way. 

Shadow placed a hand on the bed, on one side of the blue hedgehog, cupping Sonic’s face with the other. He stared longingly at those emerald eyes that seemed fearful, but at the same time excited for what was coming next. He leaned in, kissing Sonic to subdue the hedgehog as he prepared to penetrate him. Shadow ran his hand down Sonic’s entire torso, feeling up his smooth peach belly, and further down to his fleshy cock, the tender balls hidden so discreetly by his blue fur when not exposed, and finally back to the puckered hole under his tail. Shadow finally grabbed his own cock, guiding it towards the tiny opening, rubbing the weeping tip against.  

Sonic moaned and whined, clenching himself tight on instinct as Shadow started to insert his hot member. 

“Relax, Sonic. It’s going to be more painful if you don’t.” 

Shadow was only halfway in, when Sonic’s breathing suddenly became erratic, shoving Shadow away without warning, the black hedgehog staggered by the abrupt interruption. 

Sonic took a few more shallow breaths, wondering what had just happened. “Stop... I mean, can we stop? I’m sorry. I think I just... remembered something.” 

“What? What do you mean?” Shadow questioned. He seemed annoyed but he didn’t press Sonic about continuing. 

Sonic was shivering. 

It was like a figment of a forgotten dream, Sonic saw a body above himself, much in the same position as Shadow had been only a moment earlier, strong arms on either side of him covered in red fur, hips thrusting forward, but the memory only lasted a fraction of second, and anything else seemed blanketed in a white fog. 

“I saw someone... I was with someone else, doing what we were doing. But... his fur was red. I can’t remember his face.” 

Shadow sighed and sat down next to Sonic at the edge of the bed. Sonic quickly grabbed the discarded towel from earlier, wrapping it around himself, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. 

“I haven’t been completely honest with you Sonic,” Shadow said casually. 

Sonic looked at Shadow seriously, bewildered by the admission. 

Shadow looked darkly back at Sonic. “There’s some things about you, that you might not like to remember about yourself.” 

Sonic scoffed, not having a clue for what that could possibly be. “Like what?” he asked nervously. 

“Like, how much of a slut you were before you settled down with me,” Shadow said, almost accusatory in his tone. 

Sonic’s mouth hung open in disbelief of Shadow’s words. 

“And since I want to be completely honest with you,” Shadow continued. “Our relationship wasn’t in a good place before you had the accident. We hadn’t even been intimate for a long time... Who knows who you were off sleeping with when I wasn’t around. But I always turned a blind eye to it, because I knew you would always come home to me. And I hoped one day, our relationship would be better. When you lost your memory, I thought of it as kind of a blessing. A way for us to start over, and for you to forget about your past mistakes.” 

Sonic didn’t know how to feel after learning something so detestable about himself. He withdrew further into himself, drawing up his knees to hug himself, not caring when putting pressure on his broken leg hurt. 

“Shadow... I don’t want to keep going... not right now.” 

“That’s fine. I wasn’t expecting you to... We can just stay together and rest.” 

“Yeah... my body probably isn’t ready for such... strenuous activity.” 

Sonic turned around and crawled up to the pillows, pulling the covers down to lay under them. Shadow followed after him, pulling Sonic into his embrace, kissing his lips sweetly as he lay facing him. 

Sonic could barely make eye contact. Shadow was still a stranger to him. Even so, he wanted so badly to please him. 

“Shadow,” Sonic said softly. 

The black hedgehog quirked a brow at him in response. 

“Whether I get my memory back or not, I’ll be a better boyfriend to you,” Sonic promised. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Shadow you little evil shithead. XD Please tell me what you guys think, I appreciate any and all feedback I get! Thanks for reading! Til next time m'dears!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Sooner than expected I hope! Well, it was for me anyway. Please enjoy this chapter!

Concerned faces filed into the sunny headquarters, gathering for a meeting Knuckles had called to announce some bad news. The distraught echidna had barely slept for the past few days

“I’m dreaming, right? This isn’t happening again,” Knuckles uttered to Vector and Espio. 

Besides Knuckles, and the Chaotix, there were twenty or so other members present, including Amy and Rouge. “I can’t do this. Vector... can you...” he pleaded. 

“Of course,” the croc agreed, patting the guardian’s shoulder. 

The giant croc cleared his throat as all eyes focused on him, waiting for him to speak. 

“Thank you all for coming in today. I know this is unusual, but we called this meeting because some members of our rehabilitation project have gone M.I.A. Namely, Sonic and Silver.” 

“Sonic’s missing?!” Amy blurted out, amongst the worried whispers. 

“Unfortunately,” Vector continued. “He went to help Silver shut down one of Eggman’s hidden bases. That’s the only thing we know for sure, because we found his plane on a cliff near the factory. Knuckles, Espio, and I combed through that area, and all we found was the remains of the factory, which seems to have self-destructed at some point.” 

“I don’t even want to think about it,” Amy started, “but do you think anyone was hurt?” 

“We thought of that possibility,” Vector explained. “If they were hurt, they couldn’t have got very far on foot. We checked all the nearby hospitals and got nothing from them.” 

“In other words, we don’t have any leads,” Espio interjected. “We’re going to need everyone’s help to find them. Normally, this wouldn’t be cause for such alarm as Sonic’s known for taking off on his own, and Silver comes and goes from our present time, but in this case it’s worrisome under the circumstances that they went missing. Even more troubling is that this is very reminiscent of Sonic’s capture from not so long ago. Even Tails, our appointed leader, has gone missing. And again, he seems to have left voluntarily.” 

The group began speaking amongst themselves, coming up with theories and working out ways to find their missing comrades. 

“Hey, Rouge...” Knuckles pulled aside the spy and occasional jewel-thief to speak to her privately, for which she happily engaged with the echidna. “We found this jeep among the wreckage in the factory. It looked like it could have been a G.U.N. vehicle at one point, only painted all black. Is it possible it could have belonged to Shadow?”  

Rouge looked bewildered by the implication, immediately jumping to her friend’s defense. “What? Are you saying you think Shadow could have something to do with those two going missing? Shadow isn’t like that, okay?” 

Knuckles scoffed in disbelief. “Right. You keep telling yourself that,” he said darkly. “I’m only looking at all the possibilities. Whatever will help us find Sonic... and Silver. It may be reaching, but we have absolutely no leads to go off of.” 

“I suppose it’s possible,” Rouge finally answered, noting the desperation in the guardian’s demeanor. “Shadow’s had a number of G.U.N. vehicles at his disposal... but, so do a lot of other free agents,” she added quickly. 

“Have you seen him lately?” Knuckles asked. 

“I haven’t kept in touch with Shadow since our last meeting at the Resistance headquarters. He chooses to work alone most of the time. But I can find him. And if he knows something, I’ll make sure to get it out of him.” 

“Thank you, Rouge. I really appreciate it,” the guardian said solemnly. 

“Hey, don’t look so defeated... Sonic always comes back to you, doesn’t he?” she said confidently, having been aware of their relationship by her own accord for some time now. 

The echidna acknowledged it with a small smile, focusing all of his determination toward find his missing boyfriend. 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Sonic hobbled out of bed, the sound of the front door opening and closing waking him from his light sleep. His wheelchair had been exchanged for a crutch, an upgrade for the hedgehog wanting nothing more than to be independently mobile again. 

“Hey. You went out?” Sonic asked Shadow. 

“Yeah. Just to get some stuff,” the black hedgehog replied, setting down a few grocery bags on the kitchen counter. “How was the movie?” 

Sonic stretched as best he could, while leaning on his crutch. “Well, I fell asleep, so, pretty boring,” he stated, as if it was an obvious fact. 

Shadow smirked beginning to put away his purchases. “You get bored too easily,” he said flatly. 

“Can you blame me? If you haven’t noticed, I’m going a little stir crazy here.” 

Shadow stopped what he was doing, becoming noticeably annoyed. “I have noticed. But, it’s only been three days since you’ve been out of the hospital, Sonic. What do you want to do?” 

“I don’t know,” Sonic answered, returning the attitude. “Not stay in bed all day? You didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go out.” 

“You were sleeping.” 

“I wouldn’t have minded being woken up if it meant going out for a bit.” 

“Shopping? So you can whine about how boring it is? Anyway, you need to stop walking on that leg like it’s not broken. You’re only hindering your own recovery.” 

Sonic scoffed. “I’m getting better. Honestly, I’m feeling a lot better now.” 

“Good. But you’re only half of the way there. So why don’t you ease off going out for a while?” Shadow said sternly. 

“Fine, whatever,” Sonic conceded, heading towards the living room to plop down on the couch, facing away from the kitchen. 

Shadow continued putting away the groceries, quietly coming up behind Sonic when he was finished. 

“If you’re done being pissy. Here. I got you something,” Shadow announced. 

Sonic turned around looking at the paper bag Shadow shoved at him, grabbing it equally as rough. Taking out the contents, he realized it was several new pairs of socks, and a new pair of gloves. Other than his leg brace, he’d been barefoot and gloveless since the hospital. 

“Thanks. I needed this,” Sonic said a bit coldly, but genuinely grateful. 

Shadow came around the couch to sit next to Sonic. “When you’re ready, we’ll go out and get you a new pair of shoes, too... since your old ones are in pretty bad shape.” 

His tone had softened up, and Sonic couldn’t help the smile creeping up on his face. “I’d love that, Shadow. I can’t wait.”  

Seeing the look Shadow returned, Sonic suddenly became very self-conscious and shy. He knew Shadow wasn’t pushing for his affection, but somehow, he felt as if he owed it to the black hedgehog. He had made him a promise, after all.  

Sonic relented, leaning forward to press his mouth gently against Shadow’s. It was a short, tender kiss, to show Shadow his appreciation. Perhaps even as a bit of an apology. When Sonic pulled away, he searched Shadow’s face for a response, receiving a sly smile from the black hedgehog. 

“If this is how I’m going to be rewarded, maybe I should buy you clothes more often,” Shadow joked. 

Sonic let out a small laugh, “As much as I would appreciate it, it’s not just that. You deserve it. I don’t know how you keep putting up with me. I know you’re only trying to do what’s best for me.” 

“Of course. But, don’t worry about that. I get it, Sonic. You can’t help it. I’ll admit you’ve tested my patience. I need to be more mindful of what you’re going through. I don’t want things to go back to the way they were between us.” 

“I know. It sounds like things were pretty bad. But I made you a promise... and I intend to keep it,” Sonic said, closing his eyes, and leaning in for a second kiss. When he pulled away this time, Sonic felt something ignite within himself. Maybe it was the way Shadow had rested his hand on his thigh when they kissed, or the way his tongue had flicked out ever so slightly, but Sonic was craving more than a few touches. 

“Can you take me back to the bedroom?” Sonic asked, eyes glazed over and half-lidded with need. 

Shadow looked at him curiously, effortlessly picking him up to carry him back. 

He laid Sonic down on the bed, hoping his suspicions were correct. 

“Stay with me for a bit,” Sonic answered before Shadow could ask. 

Shadow obliged, laying down next to the blue hedgehog.  

“What time is it?” Shadow asked himself, tapping on his watch to check. 

They’d spent most of the past few days in bed like this, watching movies on the large tv Shadow had hanging on the wall, or reading from Shadow’s pretty extensive library of books. Sometimes both at the same time, or one would watch and the other would read, and sometimes Sonic would use Shadow’s tablet to go online and watch videos or read articles about memory loss. 

“Do you want to watch something?” Shadow asked, trying to seem innocent, but knowing full well Sonic wanted something else. 

“No,” Sonic answered quickly. 

Shadow could tell the blue hedgehog was eager, but nervous. Still, he waited for Sonic to take the initiative. He reveled in knowing Sonic found him irresistible.  

Sonic rolled over on top of Shadow, surprising only himself. Even more so, by how much he wanted to grind his body against Shadow’s. He kissed him again, opening his mouth wider with each brush, allowing their tongues to touch. He was already turned on, cock poking through his fur, and he knew Shadow wasn’t far behind. 

“Shadow,” Sonic moaned in between kisses. “I wanna do it...” 

Shadow’s dick was already stiffening, and he rolled over, pining Sonic down to be on top. 

“What do you want to do?” he teased, grabbing his arousal, to rub the tip of his member against Sonic’s receptive little hole. 

Sonic raised his knees, spreading his legs further apart, wanting to feel Shadow’s hard cock to penetrate him right then and there. 

“You know what I want,” Sonic said, panting unevenly. 

“I want you to tell me.” 

“I wanna have sex,” Sonic said eagerly. 

Sonic’s cock was dripping and Shadow’s gentle teasing was tempting to send him over the edge before they even started. 

“Ooh, that feels so good, Shadow,” Sonic said breathlessly. 

Shadow stopped his teasing, leaning down to kiss Sonic. “Yeah? Is that enough?” Shadow whispered, grabbing his dick again. 

Sonic shook his head on the pillow, “No... I want it inside me.” 

Shadow guided his cock into Sonic’s throbbing hole. “Relax, or it’s going to be unnecessarily painful.” 

Sonic tried to stopped tensing up, but it was proving to be difficult when he felt the head of Shadow’s cock slip inside. He shivered, his heart racing a mile a minute, and he gritted his teeth, gripping the bedsheets as Shadow slid his cock slowly in deeper.  

Sonic whined as if it was his first time, but even so, he felt a familiarity for the sensations going through his body. Shadow’s cock filled him up completely, and he became increasingly anxious for the black hedgehog to start moving. 

Shadow looked down at Sonic, reveling in how absolutely submissive the blue hedgehog became during sex. He began moving his hips swiftly to pump in and out of Sonic’s body, expertly angling his cock to hit him in just the right spot. 

Shadow grabbed Sonic’s wrists, keeping his hands pinned down on either side of his head as he fucked him. He watched Sonic closely, admiring how incredibly sexy the blue hedgehog looked, eyes half-closed, mouth parted, with those sweet little gasps and moans growing in volume as Shadow moved his hips faster. 

Shadow rocked Sonic’s entire body with his movements, the blue hedgehog feeling like he might pass out from the intensity. He looked up at Shadow’s intent gaze on him, his seemingly perpetual frown replaced with a passionate tenderness, his true handsomeness shining through it. Shadow grunted softly, and let out uneven breaths as he got closer to his peak, but Sonic could tell he was enjoying this so much more than he made apparent. Sonic suddenly wanted to feel closer to him, wrapping his legs around his waist, pulling him down so their torsos met, and their faces were close enough for them to kiss. 

Shadow let go of Sonic’s wrists, propping himself up with his forearm, and snaking the other hand under Sonic’s lower back, pulling him so impossibly close. Sonic’s cock rubbed up against Shadow’s firm torso, bringing him even closer to his climax. 

With his hands free, Sonic held onto Shadow’s face and shoulders while he kissed him. Sonic kissed him until he could no longer keep his composure. He pulled away from the kiss, throwing his head back into the pillow.  

“Unh... Shadow... I’m close,” Sonic said breathlessly. 

Shadow knew he couldn’t last much longer either, and slowed it down ever so slightly to make it last. 

“Fuck!” Sonic moaned, feeling Shadow's cock shooting out hot semen inside him.  

Shadow pulled out while he was still ejaculating, rubbing Sonic’s cock against his own, and pressed them together with his hand. Sonic ejaculated at the touch, and Shadow slicked his hand up and down their length, squeezing and milking them for all their worth, shooting it towards Sonic’s face. 

Sonic propped himself up on his elbows to draw his head up, instinctively parting his mouth to receive it, and by the time Shadow finished, Sonic’s muzzle, chest, and belly were dripping with it. 

Shadow looked at Sonic with satisfaction. “That’s a good look for you,” he said. 

Sonic didn’t know how to respond to that, but Shadow continued without worry. 

He lowered his head onto Sonic’s cock before it could retract back into its sheath, gliding his tongue over it as he trailed down to his furry scrotum and further down to lick his semen off. He brushed his muzzle against Sonic’s inner thigh, finishing off with a gentle kiss. 

“God, I love your cumhole,” Shadow said, returning to Sonic’s side. 

Sonic hardly heard Shadow’s final takeaway, feeling dazed. He couldn’t believe they’d just done  _that_ , but he knew he wanted to do it again soon.  

Shadow sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He turned to look at Sonic once again. 

“You’ll probably be too sore to walk for the rest of the day. You should stay in bed.” 

Sonic nodded, but winced feeling a sharp pain in his head. 

“You okay?” 

“Maybe not... I feel a little light headed,” Sonic said sitting up. 

Shadow went over to Sonic’s side of the bed, checking the spot behind his ear that had gotten stapled. “Your staples are bloody,” he noted. 

“Oh... well that explains it. You were so great, I thought I was going to pass out... But maybe it was a little too much strain on my head,” Sonic said, chuckling nervously. 

“Well, the docs did say no strenuous activity,” Shadow reminded him. 

 “I know. But I wanted to do it. I’m so glad we did. I really loved it, Shadow.” 

“I know you did,” Shadow said seriously. He left Sonic to grab a first aid kit from his bathroom, coming back a moment later to clean up the blood on Sonic’s head. 

“You said you were getting sick of take-out, so I’m going to cook dinner today,” Shadow announced after cleaning up the wound. 

“I only said that because I wanted to go out somewhere,” Sonic admitted quietly. 

“Is that so? So you don’t want me to cook?” Shadow questioned. 

“No, that’s fine. If that’s what you want to do. I just thought you should know. I really liked what we had yesterday.” 

Shadow half-smiled at this. “Okay. We’ll get cleaned up later. I’ll be in the kitchen. Try to relax now. You’ll only get better if you rest,” he said pushing Sonic down onto the pillow and pulling the covers over him. 

“Thanks, Shadow.” 

With Shadow gone, and Sonic left to his own devices, the blue hedgehog reflected on their relationship. He couldn’t put his finger on why, but he was left with an emptiness after coming down from the high having sex with Shadow had given him. He questioned whether he had ever loved Shadow, because he wasn’t sure if those feelings were present now. Or if the black hedgehog even loved him now. 

“ _He has to... he’s taken such good care of me..._ ” Sonic thought, quickly repressing those negative thoughts. He resolved to let it go for the time being, deciding he might bring it up to Shadow one day, but for now he could only hope it would come naturally to him. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the plot (what plot??) thickens. Not really, but I hope this was enjoyable enough to read. Thanks mdear readers for your lovely comments last time, I really enjoyed reading them. And maybe some of you will leave me feedback this time around, too! As always, I really appreciate it! 'Til next time n_n


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